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'The continued dedication of HSABC's leadership and members to support the fight to end breast cancer is inspirational.' - James Clancy, NUPGE president
Ottawa (3 Oct. 2007) – Each year in North America, October is recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among Canadian females, affecting thousands of women and their families each year.
In 2007, an estimated 22,300 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 5,300 will die from it. On average, 102 Canadian women will die of breast cancer every week.
One in nine women are expected to develop breast cancer during their lifetime. One in 27 will die from this disease.
Denise Sylvest (physiotherapist, Castlegar & District Hospital) applies a pink ribbon tattoo to Mary Hatlevik (retired RPN, Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital).
The National Union's Advisory Committee on Women's Issues has had a long history of promoting awareness of this issue at the national level and the Component level. Through pink ribbon campaigns and participation in fund raising events, efforts continue to raise funds for research into the prevention of breast cancer.
The Health Sciences Association of British Columbia (HSABC/NUPGE) has been an official sponsor for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation's Annual Run for the Cure since 1997. HSABC members have contributed more than $650,000 to the fight against breast cancer through the union's gold-level sponsorship, donations raised by members and education and promotional support. This year hundreds of HSABC members across British Columbia participated once again in the CIBC Run for the Cure on September 30.
National Union president James Clancy notes, "The continued dedication of HSABC's leadership and members to support the fight to end breast cancer is inspirational. Their members who include ultrasonographers, mammographers and radiation therapists work every day with women affected by this disease and as well give freely of their own time to raise funds to eradicate this disease."
Although, since the mid-1990s, incidence and death rates for breast cancer have declined, breast cancer continues to be a life threatening issue for women. The National Union continues to encourage all of its 340,000 members to take an active part in the fight to end this disease. NUPGE
More information:
? HSABC Run for the Cure
? The Breast Cancer Mailing List
? Breast Cancer Action
? Canadian Breast Cancer Network
? My Left Breast