Breast Cancer Awareness Events in Jacksonville

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, making the disease the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. Breast cancer is also the second leading cause of death among women, killing nearly 40,000 each year. Although breast cancer in men is rare, 2,150 men will be diagnosed and 410 of them will die each year.

So what’s the good news about breast cancer? In recent years, we have seen a gradual reduction in female breast cancer incidence rates among women aged 50 and older. Many doctors and researchers think that this might be due to the decline in prescriptive hormone replacement therapies after menopause. Death rates from breast cancer have been declining over the past 20 years due to early detection, increased awareness, the continuation of improving treatment options, and the fight to find a cure.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so if you are moving to Jacksonville, Florida, take part in the fight against breast cancer and check out these annual, local events:

The Annual Think Pink in October Motorcycle Ride to benefit breast cancer patients. The event features a police-escorted ride typically from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Riders should meet at Flagler Imaging Center. All of the funds that are raised during the event go towards helping breast cancer patients and their families in St. Johns County.
Row for the Cure, First Coast Head Race is accepting donations from those who would like to attend their annual rowing event. The money raised will go towards hospitals and organizations that provide breast health education, breast cancer screenings, and treatment programs. Entry fees for rowers start at $40 for singles and reach $90 for eights. The First Coast Head race is an annual regatta held on the St. Johns and Arlington Rivers and consists of a 4.8 mile course, passing under three bridges and making its way through two rivers.
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk: With just a single step, you can help the fight in ending breast cancer. Join the millions of people from over 300 communities in the United States in taking that step and walk in the American Cancer Society’s non-competitive 5k event. Every MSABC walk raises money to help the American Cancer Society fund breast cancer research, information and services, and access to mammograms for women who need them. Walk for a world without breast cancer.

Thanks to advances in research, survival from cancer has doubled over the past 40 years, and death rates have fallen by 10 percent over the past decade alone. Half of all patients now survive at least 10 years, and this is based off of figures related to people who were treated 10 years ago. It is likely that the patients being diagnosed and treated today have an even better chance of survival.

However, there is still a long way to go in finding an actual cure for cancer. Certain cancer’s progress has been much slower and when you lose someone you love, it can feel as if no progress has been made at all.

Take part in Breast Cancer Awareness Month and help increase funding for research so that each year we can get one step closer to finding a cure.