If you’ve been on Facebook or Twitter lately (and don’t even try to tell me you haven’t been), then you’ve heard about the controversial decision made by Susan G. Komen for the Cure to defund Planned Parenthood. The Komen Foundation – the nation’s largest breast cancer charity – had a longstanding partnership with Planned Parenthood, providing funds for cancer screenings and education for low-income women.

Planned Parenthood reports that their grants from the Komen Foundation totaled about $680,000 last year and $580,000 the year before. Over the past five years, Planned Parenthood centers have performed over four million breast exams, and roughly 170,000 of those were made possible by Komen grants.

The loss of this funding under any circumstances would be devastating. Planned Parenthood provides reproductive and sexual healthcare, information and education to almost five million men, women and teenagers every year. One in five American women has visited a Planned Parenthood health center at least once in her life. And Planned Parenthood is the only reproductive and sexual health resource for thousands of low-income women and women who live in rural and under-served areas. Read More »

[In conjunction with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, College Candy is taking time to address breast health for women in their 20s. Although breast cancer in college women is rare, hundreds of thousands of women are affected by the issues surrounding the disease every year.]

Yesterday we talked about how to best protect yourself against breast cancer before the age of 40. Today we’ll tackle how to join the fight against the disease. From government policies to medical research, life and death decisions about cancer are made every day. No one can control this disease, but there are plenty of opportunities to fight it. Here’s how to get involved.

Run, Relay, Race

No matter where you live, noncompetitive running, walking and relay events are regularly available for participation. Designed to raise funds and awareness, these events are a great way to support the cause with friends, sneak in some exercise and celebrate survivorship.

In 2006, more than 450,000 walkers across the country took part in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, raising over $40 million to help the American Cancer Society fight this disease.

Another amazing event to take part in is Relay For Life. Held in more than 4,800 communities across the country, teams of eight to 15 people camp out overnight and take turns walking around a track or path for 12 to 24 hours. The event usually begins with a survivor lap in which cancer survivors take a victory lap around the track. Afterwards, candles are lit to remember those lost to the disease. Read More »