IT'S OCTOBER AND IT'S BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH!!! 

Since the month is just about over, I'll venture to say that there are few people who aren't aware.  The onslaught of the representative pink in all of it's various shades - from pastel to fuchsia - and in every venue imaginable has permeated American culture.  Pink ribbon pins and bumper stickers abound.  

It's a great thing that awareness has created, well...awareness. 

Awareness???  Really???  Are you a man reading this???  How aware are you???  How much awareness has this decades long campaign given you???  Oh, sure...you know that women need to check themselves and to have regular check-ups with their physician.  You see the big bruiser players wearing their pink shoes on the football field Sunday and Monday evenings.

What about you???  What about the risks that breast cancer poses for men???

Long before computers became a home fixture, somewhere along the way, I learned about breast cancer in men.  Sure, there wasn't a whole lot published on the subject and there were few cases reported.  It was a rare occurrence.  Funny thing is, the rare occurrence gains a little more in numbers each year.  Is the gain due to risk factors or previous misdiagnosing in the past???

In the midst of a discussion with my husband, I let him know that I'm a bit disgusted with all of this "awareness" since nothing is mentioned about breast cancer in men.  Turning to the computer, I found the article seeded as well as plenty of links that mention breast cancer in men but the majority gave scant details.  This link probably provides the most information.

http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/guide/breast-cancer-men

With the entire month of October dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer, shouldn't at least some of the hoopla give a bit of air time to enlightening or reminding folks that although rare, men get this and need to be made aware.

So...if you weren't aware before, you're aware now.