Isn't it about time we had answers?

Answers Wanted: Get Informed. Get Active.
http://bcaction.org/Pages/TakeAction/AnswersWantedQuiz.html

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993, at the age of 41. I can still remember
the moment I heard the words, “You have breast cancer.” Like many women facing this
diagnosis, my first thought was, “Am I going to die from this?” And my second
thought was “Will I have to have chemo to keep me alive?”

Fast forward to 2006: I consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world. I’m
turning 55 this month and I’m still here after that first diagnosis, the hell of
treatments, a local recurrence in 1996, and a mastectomy.

My experience in 1993 was like that of so many other women, then and now. Our
initial thoughts at the time of diagnosis are much the same. Unfortunately, our
doctors don’t have the tools to give us definitive answers to our first questions,
despite billions of dollars spent on breast cancer research and more than 20 years
of “Breast Cancer Awareness Months.”

All of us here at Breast Cancer Action believe that doctors should have these tools,
and that you can help make that happen. This October, BCA is continuing to move
beyond “awareness” into action with the launch of Answers Wanted. This new
multi-year public education campaign focuses on crucial questions about breast
cancer that remain unanswered. This year Answers Wanted focuses on the need to know
which breast cancers will spread and become life-threatening and which will not.

BCA conducted a national poll to test the public’s knowledge of basic facts about
breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. The poll results are available on our web
site, along with a quiz so you can test your own knowledge. Visit
http://bcaction.org/Pages/TakeAction/AnswersWantedQuiz.html

BCA has always encouraged people to get informed and get involved, so after you’ve
taken our quiz, please join me in e-mailing Congress and the National Cancer
Institute encouraging them to prioritize a plan for future breast cancer research
that will give doctors the tools they need to determine upon diagnosis if breast
cancer will spread.

Get informed and get involved: ANSWERS WANTED
http://bcaction.org/Pages/TakeAction/AnswersWantedQuiz.html

Barbara A. Brenner
Executive Director
Breast Cancer Action


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