October – Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Once more, as an office, we asked our clients to share their story and thoughts about the month’s topic at hand. This month was about breast cancer.

The National Breast Cancer Foundation says, “1 in 8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. In 2025, an estimated 316,950 women and 2,800 men will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and an additional 59,080 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer will be diagnosed. Chances are, you know at least one person who has been personally affected by breast cancer.”

Breast cancer is a disease where cancer cells form in the tissues of the breast. There are many different types of breast cancer in both men and women. People can have early detection if they have annual mammography and other breast exams. When caught in its earliest, localized stages, the 5-year relative survival rate is 99%. An estimated 42,170 U.S. women will die from breast cancer in 2025. 1 in 8 women, or approximately 13% of the female population in the U.S., will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Right now, there are about 4 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

One survivor at Olive Branch wrote,

“As a breast cancer survivor, it’s 9 years since my diagnosis, I have had reason to give breast cancer some thought.

What I came up with is this:

Breast cancer is like most things that happen to us. The most important thing about it is how we respond to it. While diagnosis and treatment can take over our lives for a while, breast cancer does not have to define who we are. It obviously influences our lives and personalities but we get to choose what the lasting impact on who we are will be. I won’t give it any more power than it already has.”

Something I wrote was,

“My name is Hope. If you need hope in this hard time, you have me.”

If you have recently had a health diagnosis and would like to make sure your mental health is up to par by speaking with a professional counselor feel free to reach us at Olive Branch Counseling Associates, Inc. in Tinley park by calling (708) 633-8000, or at 6819 167th Street in Tinley Park, Illinois, online at https://www.olivebranchcounselingassociates.com/. Olive Branch offers therapy for individuals, couples, and families. We would be happy to hear from and see you!

Credit to: https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-facts/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=85386326

Written by,

Hope Meegan