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| EMPOWERING YOUNG WOMEN TO TAKE CONTROL OF THEIR BREAST & OVARIAN HEALTH |
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A Message from Lindsay…
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Dear Bright Pink Friends & Supporters,
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It’s hard to believe that summer is nearly over and soon we’ll be raking leaves and packing a scarf in our bags to fight the chill. Bright Pink has enjoyed a delightful summer including our third successful High Tea Celebration at the Drake Hotel and our first ever Ambassador Summit for our national volunteer leaders! The Summit welcomed Bright Pink Ambassadors from around the country who got a chance to meet and learn from one another, receive
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training from Bright Pink’s staff and Board Members and plan for the upcoming year. The weekend rejuvenated the Ambassadors, giving them new ideas and new motivation to spread Bright Pink’s mission around the country.
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As we head into fall, the excitement continues with the celebration of National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in September, followed by National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Octobera busy time for our organization. Bright Pink has lots in store for our friends and supporters, as you will read below, including our 2010 Power of Pink event at the Hard Rock Hotel on Thursday, October 7, 2010, in Chicago. We hope you will find a way to take part in one of the exciting initiatives we have going on, whether by attending an event, supporting one of our national sponsors, or participating in a national teleconference. We are so grateful for your continued support.
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All the Best & Brightest!
Lindsay Avner
Founder and Executive Director, Bright Pink
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BE BRILLIANT THIS FALL
& Treasure your Chest |
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| Be sure to visit BeBrightPink.org in early September for all the details and tune-in to support Bright Pink and the cause. |
| And don’t forget to pick up a pack of Orbit White Bubblemint gum featuring Bright Pink, because being proactive with breast health should be as routine as regularly chewing gum to brighten your smile. |
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| event for the third year running and E! News celebrity correspondent, Giuliana Rancic even stopped by to lend her support. Other event highlights included emotional and uplifting speeches given by three of Bright Pink’s very own, Jaclyn Jensen, Andrea Barmish Mazza and Lorraine Gibson, and a silent auction featuring priceless items such as tickets to the last season of Oprah, staycations at some of Chicago’s best hotels and a diamond bracelet from David Yurman. Guests also enjoyed the opportunity to get professional photographs taken by Phil Farber on a beautiful pink couch donated by Kehoe Designs. |
Phil Farber’s photos are available for purchase at
http://www.photoimagesinc.com/index.html#/client-lounge
Click “Proofing” then select “Bright Pink. |
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Photo: Lindsay Avner, Ginger Zee, Kelli Zink, Giuliana Rancic
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| October to me. Sure, I might have seen a teal ribbon here or a pink ribbon there, but I didn’t have a personal relationship to either of those causes or colors. That’s because before I tested positive for the BRCA2 mutation in April 2009, I had never experienced cancer up close. Let me explain. |
| I’ve always been thoughtful about my breasts, routinely performing self-breast exams and being mindful of my overall health; but, as a young woman with no obvious risk factors or history, I didn’t think breast cancer could affect me. It was a disease, and October a month, for someone else. All of that changed for me when I learned the cancers that had plagued my father’s cousins and aunts on distant branches of our family tree were caused by a genetic mutation. Suddenly, the abstract threat of breast cancer became very real. I inherited my BRCA2 mutation from my father, who inherited it from his father, and I credit a lot of good fortune (and good communication among family members) that I’m in a place where I could learn my riskand be proactive in the face of itbefore breast cancer could impact me personally. |
| This October, I’ll be celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month from a new vantage point. In December 2009, I underwent a double prophylactic mastectomy to ensure that I could live my life free from the specter of breast cancer. So this will be my first Breast Cancer Awareness Month without my breasts. But that’s OK because the two people I’ll be celebrating this fall never had breasts or ovaries to begin with. This autumn, I’ll be thinking about my grandfather and my father and the incredible gift they offered me: the power to take charge of my health, to know my risk, and to be spared a disease that’s claimed so many of their relativeswomen who are little more than names on a family tree to me, but whose own battles may have presaged my own. Hereditary cancer risk can be passed through from fathers to daughters, and your father’s family’s health history is just as important as your mother’s in determining risk. I’m living proof of that. So this fall, I’ll be thinking about my bodynew parts and oldand celebrating the gift of health and life, ever mindful of the incredible men who made me the woman I am today. Hear more from Steph H. on her blog at goodbyetoboobs.com. |
| HOW TO BE BRIGHT PINK |
| In honor of National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in September, consider these unique tips to monitor your ovarian health and reduce your risk for getting the disease. |
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BE BOLD.
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Consider the benefits of oral contraceptives. Why, you ask? Well, the pill works by inhibiting ovulation. It blocks the monthly process whereby the ovaries produce an egg. This may be protective against ovarian cancer by reducing the number of times ovarian cells divide. Cancers form when cell division goes awry, so the fewer times you produce an egg, the fewer cell divisions there are and the fewer the chances for a division to lead to cancer.
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Talk to a medical professional to determine if taking oral contraceptives to reduce your risk for ovarian cancer is the right choice for you.
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DEAR PINK…
Our monthly Q&A
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Dear Pink,
I have a strong family history of breast cancer on my mother’s side and recently worked up the courage to get gene testing in order to learn more about my risk. I tested negative, but I’m not sure what this really means for my risk and how I should maintain proactive habits with my breast health?
Staying positive,
Jill
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Dear Jill,
Thanks for your question! In order to clarify your gene test results, it is recommended that a family
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member who has already been affected by cancer pursue testing because she is most likely to test positive. If one of your maternal family members tests positive, you would be considered a true negative, based on your previous results. Your risk of breast cancer would be comparable to the general population and you would be encouraged to continue your monthly breast self-awareness, annual clinical breast exams, and begin annual screening mammograms at age 40.
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If one of your maternal family members (who has been affected with cancer) also tests negative, or if no additional individuals pursue testing, there are a few possible explanations. The most probable is that there may be a different gene causing the cancer in your family.
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In this situation, your breast cancer risk is thought to be slightly elevated based on the family history alone. Various computer models can be utilized by your health care team to help clarify your risk and determine whether increased breast surveillance (specifically breast MRI) should be included in your annual screening. It’s also recommended that young women with a family history begin annual breast cancer screening through mammogram ten years younger than the earliest diagnosis in the family.
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Keep in mind, the best way to get all the information is to talk to your doctor and genetic counselor.
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Stay bright,
Pink
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Do you have a question for Pink? Send an email to brightpink@bebrightpink.org and your question
could be featured in the next newsletter. Questions will be posted anonymously, if desired.
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| focusing on young women who are BRCA+, and she also keeps a blog that details her personal experiences and recent decision to undergo a bilateral preventative mastectomy. You can visit Claudia’s blog at: http://previvingcancer.wordpress.com/. Thank you Claudia, for you inspiring dedication to the organization! Keep up the great work! |
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| BRIGHT HAPPENINGS |
Be sure to regularly visit our events page for the latest information
on upcoming events! |
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| www.BeBrightPink.org |
