The Breast Cancer Community

For many people, the experience of having gone through breast cancer treatment changes their lives and perspectives.  Some breast cancer patients just want to finish their treatment and move on, while some want to take what they learned about themselves and about life and use the information to help others.

Thirty years ago, when Y-ME began, talking about breast cancer publicly was in its infancy.  Brave women like First Lady Betty Ford helped to change the discussion after she was diagnosed with the disease.  The words “breast” and “cancer” seldom appeared in print at that time.  Today, a strong, active community of breast cancer patients and the people who care about them work to find better ways of preventing, diagnosing, and treating the disease – and providing support to the people who face its challenges.  They work to raise awareness and money, to change policies at the local and national level, to guarantee that every patient has access to the best available care – and to assure that no one faces breast cancer alone.  For some people, getting involved may mean walking or running in an annual race; for others, it could become their life's work.  There is no one right way.

If you want to become part of this community, many options of raising awareness are open to you.  If you are a breast cancer survivor, you could become a peer counselor yourself.  Learn about how to become more involved with Y-ME in the Get Involved section.