The scene at Making Strides Against Breast Cancer in Wilmington is always a sea of pink, but a special group of men are calling attention to themselves by sporting pink and fighting back against breast cancer.
Called “Real Men Wear Pink,” they are composed of community leaders who are pinking up their wardrobes and raising awareness about the disease, fundraising $500 each and networking to increase participation in the Making Strides event by the Riverfront on Oct. 10.
Real Men Wear Pink has two components: the Real Men Wear Pink Patron Party, which is a networking event for philanthropic leaders in our community, as well as the 5K run/walk.
We thank our Real Men Wear Pink for their wardrobe choices as well as joining the campaign to help save lives by raising money to fund breast cancer education, advocacy, research and services.
If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else to join the Real Men Wear Pink campaign, contact Alex Stone at alex.stone@cancer.org or call (302) 669-6324.
Not Just a Woman’s Disease
The Real Men Wear Pink campaign is also raising awareness that breast cancer can occur in men. Breast cancer is about 100 times less common among men than women. For men, the lifetime risk of getting breast cancer is about 1 in 1,000.
The American Cancer Society estimates that in the U.S. in 2015:
About 2,350 men will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.
About 440 men will die from breast cancer.
We don’t yet completely understand the causes of male breast cancer, but these factors may increase the risk:
Aging: Men with breast cancer are on average about 68 years old when they are diagnosed.
Family history: About 1 out of 5 men with breast cancer have a close male or female relative with the disease.
Genetics: Men with a mutation (defect) in the BRCA2 gene have an increased risk, with a lifetime risk of about 6 in 100. BRCA1 mutations have a lower risk of about 1 in 100.
Klinefelter syndrome: Some studies have found that men with Klinefelter syndrome are more likely to get breast cancer than other men, but overall the risk is still low.
Radiation exposure: The chest area has been treated with radiation.
Alcohol: Heavy consumption.
Obesity: Fat cells in the body convert male hormones (androgens) into female hormones (estrogens). Regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight may help reduce the risk of breast cancer, as well as that of many other diseases.
Volunteers Needed
Drive Cancer Patients to Treatment for Road to Recovery Program
For many cancer patients, getting to and from treatment is one of their toughest challenges.
Through the simple gift of a lift in your car, you can help carry patients one step farther on the road to recovery.
“Look Good Feel Better” Seeks Cosmetologists and Estheticians
Experienced beauty professionals and coordinators are needed to help female cancer patients cope with the appearance-related effects of treatment by teaching them hands-on skin care and beauty techniques.
Once certified, volunteers facilitate two-hour Look Good Feel Better sessions with small groups of local patients.
Contact: (410) 781-6909 or
jen.burdette@cancer.org.
