In our community we have known, seen, or heard about someone who has suffered from breast cancer. Many of us have suffered through it personally. We see the strong women who fight the disease; we see families change their lives to help their loved one go through surgery or treatment. We also sometimes see the hardship, the stress, and the loss. Breast cancer is the second-most common type of cancer among women in the United States, and the second-most common cause of cancer-related death. Each week in Oregon and southwest Washington, 63 men and women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 11 will die.

Breast cancer starts out as a few tiny cells in the breast tissue. It can grow for years before a woman notices a lump. Sometimes, it can grow through the breast and never feel like a lump. The bigger it grows, the harder it is to get rid of. Many times, women with breast cancer don’t see anything or feel anything different, don’t have any pain, and have no way of knowing that they have breast cancer —except for getting a mammogram.