Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Statistically Speaking

The other day I saw a news reporter who was at an event for Breast Cancer Awareness and he gave a statistic that 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer.

1 in 8!!!

So I start counting:

- there are 8 women in my book club

- there are about 40 women on the campus I work at.  3 have already gotten breast cancer.  2 more to go?

- there are 11 women in the department I work in

- between mother-in-law, 3 sister-in-laws, 1 brother-in-law's long term girlfriend, 3 grown nieces and me there are 9 women in that side of my family

- 1 mother (deceased), 1 sister, me, 2 aunts, 3 girl cousins in my biological family

Of course one must factor in the whole genetic pre-disposition angle.

1 in 8 sounds like a lot when you start counting.
But one of the most inspiring people I know reminded me today not to live in fear.
If the weather man said there would be a 12.5% chance of rain - I would not take an umbrella.
So 1 in 8 is only a 12.5% chance that an individual will get breast cancer.
Odds that breast cancer will affect someone you know - 100%.

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