October Marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Each year, October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Prairie Home Hospice & Community Care is a strong advocate for all types of cancer, and we like to make sure that we place a heavy focus on the opportunities that come from this month! For most of the summer, we take part in our Tough Enough To Wear Pink Campaign, participating in local events, and spreading awareness and knowledge of Breast Cancer. This campaign also allows us to raise funds and support local families facing the battle of cancer. Families like the Weiss Family!
“Michael’s story started with a cough and what he thought was bronchitis that wouldn’t clear up. So he went back to urgent care looking for a different answer. His blood pressure was really high, so they rushed into the ER in Marshall, did some scans and then ambulanced him over to Sioux Falls. At Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls we found that he had a large Mass in his chest, and about a liter of fluid around his heart. They immediately removed the fluid, and did a biopsy which showed us that Michael had Stem Cell B Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Michael would need to complete six rounds of chemotherapy. It would consist of 1 day doing an infusion in Marshall followed by 5 days in patient treatment in Sioux Falls. They predicted it would be 6 months of treatment to get through chemo. Michael ended up doing it in 4 months. 3 months after his last treatment, plans to get a PET Scan and see if the treatment worked were delayed due to the birth of our son Walter. One month later, Michael did get in for his PET scan that revealed there was no evidence of the disease and he was in remission.
On October 11th, we celebrated 1 year after his last treatment and still in remission.”
Like the Weiss’, early intervention was the key. Advocating, being knowledgeable and being aware are the KEY in cancer detection and prevention. Read below to learn more about breast cancer in our country today!
Breast Cancer Facts (From the National Breast Cancer Foundation)
• There are over 3.3 million breast cancer survivors in the USA
• An estimated 253,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer yearly (one every 2 minutes).
• 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.
• Breast cancer is the most common cancer among US women.
• An estimated 2,470 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
• Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women.
• In the last few years there has been a gradual reduction in female breast cancer incidence rates among women aged 50 and older. Death rates from breast cancer have been declining since about 1990, in part to better screening and early detection, increased awareness, and continually improving treatment options.
As always, reach out to your medical provider for any questions or concerns that you may be having in regards to your, or your loved one’s health!
Prairie Home Hospice & Community Care would also like to thank the sponsors of our Tough Enough To Wear Pink Campaign for the year of 2021. It is thanks to these sponsors that we are able to continue to educate the public, and help local families fighting this battle!
2021 Tough Enough To Wear Pink Campaign Sponsors
-Sundance Auto Repair -Bladholm Construction -Lyon County Fair and PRCA Rodeo -Bisbee P&H -AP Design -D&G Excavating -Henle Printing Company -Hess Concrete
-Lockwood Motors, Abra Auto Body & Glass, and The Shine Center