October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and while it’s always an important time for awareness-raising, this year brings a bit more urgency.
As with so many parts of our lives, the pandemic caused significant setbacks in the rates of screening and early detection, both vital parts of the fight against breast cancer. While the long-term result of that situation is still unknown, it’s safe to say that there will be a greater need in the coming months and years.
We encourage you to join in both raising awareness (by wearing pink, especially on Real Kids Wear Pink Day, Friday, October 22nd) and by donating to any number of related charities to support low- or no-cost mammograms for those who need them, among many other efforts.
We’d also like to highlight the important work of the William E. Kahlert Regional Cancer Center in Carroll County, Maryland. Located in on the Carroll Hospital campus in Westminster, the Kahlert Center is a program of LifeBridge Health’s Sinai Hospital.
The Kahlert Center is accredited by the Commission on Cancer as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Program, providing outpatients with a full spectrum of cancer care services from diagnosis to support services and other resources including nutrition counseling and support groups.
Specific to this month’s theme, The Center for Breast Health at Kahlert provides centralized resources and fully integrative care to meet each individual’s need. This goes well beyond medical care to their Wellness Boutique and Studio YOU, offering prostheses, wigs, hats and more. And the Tevis Center for Wellness features supportive therapies ranging from massage to acupuncture to reiki, to help manage pain and ease anxiety.
We’re proud to have the Douron Team involved in our Think Pink campaign in October, and will be putting together Cancer Care Packages for donation to the William E. Kahlert Regional Cancer Center.
More than 280,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected diagnosed in women in 2021, with nearly 50,000 additional non-invasive cases. However you choose to do so, we hope you’ll find ways to support this vital cause in this important month.