October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s time to find a cure.
According to the CDC, there are about 264,000 cases of breast cancer diagnosed in women and about 2,400 in men each year.
Long Islanders are seeing increasing numbers of Breast Cancer cases.
The Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project (LIBCSP) started a multistudy in a 2005 investigation to determine whether or not environmental factors contributed to rising numbers of breast cancer diagnoses on Long Island.
An interesting find from the study suggested that Long Islanders are highly exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), a chemical found in cigarette smoke and grilled foods— the exposure puts people at risk of developing Breast Cancer.
According to the New York State Department of Health, nearly 2,400 Long Island women are diagnosed with breast cancer yearly— and just over 400 die.
Patricia McDffee, 53, of Huntington is a Breast Cancer survivor. Unexpectedly, she was diagnosed with Metastatic Breast Cancer and has been battling it for the last 16 years.
“My mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer when I was in 3rd grade and she was able to beat it,” said McDffee’s daughter, Caitlyn McDffee said. “But it was difficult to process and I wanted to do everything I could to be a part of the fight with her.”
“I remember in 4th grade I did a lacrosse tournament for Breast Cancer and I wore a pink tutu and pink socks and I remember that meaning so much to me because I was playing for my mom. Wearing pink made me feel like I was a part of the fight with her,” Caitlyn added.
In October of last year, Caitlyn started the “31 Day Pink Challenge” where she wears pink every day in the month of October and challenges others to do the same. She often shares her posts on her social media, highlighting the pink outfits she, her family and friends wear.
“I’m just bringing awareness and I’m choosing to wear pink everyday,” Caitlyn said. “My brother and my twin sister are running the marathon for my mom and the money raised is going towards research for my mom. It’s really special that they are running the marathon for her.”
Caitlyn highlighted how despite this great hardship, her mother never fails to have a smile and spread her vivacious energy.
“She has the best care and the best attitude. I’ve never heard her complain. She’s the person laughing loudest in the room,” Caitlyn said.
At the moment, there is no cure for Metastatic Breast Cancer.
Patricia has been getting treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City for the past few years.
Finding a cure is what Patricia and her family are after. The 31 Day Pink Challenge has raised over $9,000 out of the $7,000 goal.
To donate, visit https://give.bcrf.org/fundraiser/3841113
“Right now, especially for my mom and for Breast Cancer in general, there is no cure,” Caitlyn said. “People may know someone with breast cancer, for me, it’s very personal and I want to do everything I can to spread awareness and to be able to find a cure.”
“There is so much research and I know I’m not going to stop. My twin sister isn’t going to stop. My brother isn’t going to stop. My dad isn’t going to stop. My mom will not stop until there is a cure.”
