October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and this year it really strikes a chord as I know three women who were diagnosed this past summer. All in various stages and treatments and fortunately all have very good prognoses. But come on, 3 in one summer? In my mind cancer is a disease that strikes older people, which, with my own advancing age (and denial), I have now defined as 70+. Naïve I know. And while the median age of diagnosis is 61, 25% of women with breast cancer are younger than 50! And up until this summer I would have found this stat surprising: 1 in 8 women will develop Breast Cancer in the U.S. over the course of their lives, about 13%. The good news is that mortality rates are declining. So what can you do when age and genetics are risk factors? According to the Mayo Clinic; limit alcohol, maintain a healthy weight, stay physically active, and consider limiting the amount of fat in your diet. And importantly, increase your chances of early detection by getting an annual mammogram and clinical breast exam if you’re 40 years of age or older. 
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