Living in the Pacific Northwest has truly been a blessing through the
first part of 2010. We have dodged all the storms that have befallen
the rest of the United States and are reveling in what seems like a very
(almost too early) Spring.
We, at the foundation are planning events across the country that will hopefully educate those that have been in the dark about Inflammatory Breast Cancer and bring more awareness to those that think they know everything about Breast Cancer.
Our radio show, IBC Fact & Fallacies has received many more listeners in past months, so the message is getting out there. Thank you to everyone who has donated to our educational mission which helps continue to bring you interesting topics and guest speakers the fourth Wednesday of every month. Just like some of the flowers that are opening a bit early, so are the minds of our audience. Once in the dark about IBC, many more are learning that with on going science this disease can be arrested in many cases or held in check, unlike in years gone by.
Our voices have become stronger as our numbers grow, and instead of feeling like the proverbial lone town 'cri de coeur', we are being heard above the din of so many in the medical community the words we all hate to hear, "IBC is so rare you don't have to worry about it". With six new cases in just this last month, (that I personally know about), rare doesn't apply to my vocabulary anymore. Four of those cases were misdiagnosed, so I know there is much more work to be done on a national stage.
Sitting in the weeds, so to speak, waiting for an opportunity to raise our communal voices is not an option, which is why we started this foundation in the first place.
For every person that peruses the pages
of our website and learns about IBC, or learns something they didn't
know before, we need you to join us and speak up at breast cancer
rallies, races for the cure, pink ribbon events and any stage or venue
where you can say loud and clear "IBC is different and everyone needs to
know the facts".
With new clinics and more doctors devoting
their energies to help in the fight against misinformation, there will
be less misdiagnosed cases and earlier identification when a woman, or a
man, presents with flagrant symptoms of IBC. Our message to everyone
is and should be, "Rule Out IBC first", not last.
There will come a brighter day when our message is redundant. When women don't feel like they are alone and isolated, hanging by a single rope of limited knowledge by the medical people who they trust.
