Hello October! Since it is officially Fall, what better way to welcome in the cooler months than with a cup of coffee and a side of health talk? October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. To honor that awareness, let’s discuss ways in which we can take more preventative measures regarding our health. Becoming more proactive in our health could be extremely impactful in helping us become more knowledgeable on the risk factors for breast and ovarian cancer and can actually end up saving our lives. 

 In order to do that, I have teamed up with Bright Pink on a sponsored, Assess Your Risk initiative, to get you (and I) to be more proactive about our breast AND ovarian health. You might be wondering who is Bright Pink or what are they are about. Say no more! Bright Pink is a national non-profit organization uniquely focused on prevention and early detection. With a focus on health rather than cancer, Bright Pink inspires women to make behavior changes that can greatly improve their lives.

With the help of Bright Pink, I’m here to empower the women in my life, both near and far (hey London & Paris peeps), to move beyond Breast Cancer Awareness and take action by completing the Assess Your Risk quiz at www.assessyourrisk.org. The Assess Your Risk quiz takes only 3-5 short minutes to complete. That’s like listening to one of your favorite songs, ordering and waiting for a complicated beverage at your favorite coffee shop or the amount of time it takes that one working elevator to come to your floor because today you just didn’t feel like taking the stairs. Trust me, I have been there.

What’s really cool about the assessment is that while you are answering questions, you can find additional information on the webpage about why the particular questions are being asked. Did you know that black women are more likely to have dense breast tissue than white women? Having dense breast tissue can potentially increase cancer risk because abnormalities are harder to detect in mammograms of women with dense breast tissue. 

 I’ll be completely honest. That is the very first time hearing the term “dense breast tissue” and what that may mean for someone like me. You can expect to see these types of questions and information that is extremely important in taking control in better managing your health. Nevertheless, Bright Pink’s mission is to help all women their risk and take action.

 By participating in Assess Your Risk, you will join the 1.5 million women who have already assessed their risk of breast and ovarian cancer and received personalized recommendations for prevention from Bright Pink.Bright Pink educates women about the importance of knowing their risk for breast and ovarian cancer, and providing them with the information and resources needed to take risk-reducing action.

 So what are you waiting for? Visit www.assessyourrisk.org to assess your personal risk level for breast and ovarian cancer. Knowledge is power and as long as I’ve heard the phrase, I’ve known it to always be accurate. It is better to be prepared to take actions that can help reduce your risk. When you know better, you do better and frankly, this is the kind of “better” we should all be doing.