#ItsAboutTimeMBC – Raise Your Voice!

Have you heard about the relatively new It’s About Time initiative which was started last fall to raise awareness about metastatic breast cancer? Recently the campaign launched an additional effort focused on advocating for more research specific to metastatic breast cancer. There will be a congressional caucus in mid-May focused on women’s issues. The It’s About Time campaign plans to use this as an opportunity to educate a targeted list of congressional members about this critical need for more research. (Yes!)

As stated on the Its About Time website you are invited to RAISE YOUR VOICE!

#ItsAboutTimeMBC encourages metastatic breast cancer patients and their families to share their stories in order to raise awareness about this disease. 

Some of these stories will be shared during this congressional caucus event.  You are invited to share your story too!

We’re asking people from around the country to speak out and share their vision for the future of metastatic breast cancer treatment and research. All of the entries we collect will be displayed on a searchable map that will go live in mid-May, and will be distributed to legislators who attend a hearing focused on metastatic breast cancer. It’s easy to participate:

All you have to do is fill in the short form below and complete the sentence: “It’s About Time _____________.”

Want more awareness and support? Research? Funding? Tell us!

I was recently contacted and asked to help spread the word about this initiative and to share some of my thoughts about metastatic disease. If you browse around the site, you will find some familiar faces who have already been raising their voices.

So, this post is to help spread the word and to share what I shared for the #RaiseYourVoice campaign. You can be a whole lot briefer, but I wanted to seize the opportunity to put some info in front of those congressional big wheels when given the chance. Will they pay attention? Who knows. But this is what I shared:

It’s about time everyone knows the truth about breast cancer. It is not a pretty, party-like disease to be tied up with pink ribbons. It is a devastating and deadly disease for far too many. Those living with metastatic breast cancer deserve more. It’s time to move beyond awareness. It’s time to spend more dollars on research specific to metastatic disease. It’s time we all start asking anyone who will listen, did you know…?

• Did you know an estimated 25-30% of early stage breast cancers go on to metastasize at some point regardless of stage at diagnosis?
• Did you know 6% are diagnosed right out of the gate as stage 4, the forevermore in treatment kind?
• Did you know men can get breast cancer too?
• Did you know roughly 40,000 women and men still die annually from mbc in the US alone?
• Did you know that biting into that pink cupcake or purchasing those pink garbage bags probably isn’t doing much toward helping us reach those goals of a cure, prevention and better treatments?
• Did you know the company you bought that pink gizmo from might not be donating as much as you think (or even anything), to the cause?
• Did you know a small fraction of donated dollars is actually designated for metastatic-type research?
• Did you know that women in your community do not all have equal access to healthcare?
• Did you know that mammograms do not prevent breast cancer?
• Did you know early detection doesn’t mean a cancer cannot still metastasize later on, even twenty (or more) years later?
• Did you know that metastatic breast cancer is the only kind that kills?