Stories of Hope
A Co-Survivors Journey: Marcus Robinson

Breast cancer doesn’t affect just the person who receives the diagnosis, but it affects whole families and many friends. Marcus Robinson’s shares his story about his journey with his wife Saundra while she was undergoing her battle with breast cancer.

I’m sure at some point in everyone’s life you’ve been awakened from a deep sleep by a loved one who informed you that something tragic had just happened to a family member. That memory from my childhood will always haunt me. I still remember the panic and pain in my parents’ faces after such a call and the haste to gather all of us together to make the journey to some far off place in the middle of the night. That ritual and that call are things I never wanted to hear as an adult; it always reminded me of extreme sadness and was usually accompanied by a funeral of someone who had shaped my life from childhood to adulthood. But, that call would come again.

“Saundra you have breast cancer,” the doctor said. I swallowed hard, and I felt life drain from my wife in that moment. Click here to read the full story.

Pink Tie Affair
Real men do wear Pink because Real men
fight
Breast Cancer.

A Pink Tie is not just a fashion statement – it’s the symbol of a man’s commitment to helping find the cures for breast cancer and supporting breast cancer efforts in the community throughout the year.

Pink Tie Guys is an awareness campaign aimed at further engaging men in the breast cancer movement to help Denver Metropolitan Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® save lives and end breast cancer forever.

This year, these seven gentlemen who have been chosen as our Pink Tie Guys are: Billy Thompson, Mike Ehmann, Joseph Blake, Zee Ferrufino, Al Carmosino, Huston Street and Ray Mencini. They symbolize the fact that a staggering one in seven women in Colorado will battle breast cancer in their lifetime. These men have shown their dedication to the fight against breast cancer and to bringing awareness of this health issue to the forefront.

Our Pink Tie Guys will be honored at this year’s Pink Tie Affair where a Pink Tie is not just a fashion statement – it has the power to ignite awareness, engagement and most of all, passion.

Join us for an incredible evening! Emceed by 9News personalities, Kim Christiansen and Mark Koebrich, the Pink Tie Affair will take place on Saturday, November 12, 2011 at The Sheraton Hotel Denver. The evening begins at 6:00pm with dinner, dancing to “Moment’s Notice,” casino games, and an exciting auction items.

Tickets are $200 per person. For more information or to buy tickets, call 303.367.1367. Join in the fun, join in the fight and help ignite the passion!

Breast Cancer News
The ABCs of Breast Density

You may have heard health reports about the importance of breast density on a mammogram (also called mammographic density), which has emerged as a strong risk factor for breast cancer in women. But what, exactly, is breast density? What is its role in breast cancer? How do you know if you have dense breasts? And, if you do have dense breasts, is there anything you can do to lower your breast cancer risk?

Breast basics
A woman’s breasts are made up mostly of fat and breast tissue. Breast tissue is the network of lobules (sacs that produce milk) and ducts (canals that carry milk from the lobules to the nipple openings during breastfeeding). Connective tissue helps hold everything in place.

What is breast density?
Breast density is a way to describe the composition of a woman’s breasts. This measure compares the area of breast and connective tissue seen on a mammogram to the area of fat. Breast and connective tissue are denser than fat and this difference shows up on a mammogram.

• High breast density means there is a greater amount of breast and connective tissue compared to fat.
  
• Low breast density means there is a greater amount of fat compared to breast and connective tissue.
  

Where Your Money Goes

Komen Denver Metropolitan Affiliate Continues Grantee Site Visits

August was a busy month for the Komen Denver Metropolitan Affiliate as we continued doing site visits for our 2011/12 grantees. In August, we went on eight site visits and had our first two site tours with a Colorado legislator. Site tours are an excellent way to showcase the partnership between our Affiliate and our grantees, and help the Affiliate with our efforts to build our relationships with elected officials. A site tour also gives us an opportunity to educate the elected officials about the work that is being done in their districts and hopefully help prevent future cuts to breast health and cancer services.