CORPUS CHRISTI FIRE DEPARTMENT FIGHTS BREAST CANCER...

The odds that you may know someone that has been affected by breast cancer are higher then you can even imagine. This disease has reached near epidemic proportions with over 2.8 million women in the United States being diagnosed. As research continues, the search for a cure has unfortunately not been found yet.

The American Cancer Society's most recent estimates for breast cancer in the United States for the year 2011 are.

* About 230,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer in women

* About 57,650 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be found (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer)

* About 39,520 deaths from breast cancer (women only)

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, right after lung cancer.

The chance of a woman you know having invasive breast cancer sometime during her life is a little less then 1 in 8. The chance of dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 35. These numbers are high and unfortunate. But there is hope. Breast cancer death rates have been going down recently (but they are not low enough). This is probably the result of detecting the cancer earlier and better treatment being available once diagnosed. Right now there are more the 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.



The Corpus Christi Fire Department has been a strong supporter of cancer awareness for many years now. This year is no different. Last year your CCFD and their Union Local 936 sold the pink cancer awareness t-shirts to support the fight against cancer. They sold over 7,500 shirts through the pink shirt campaign. Cancer hits real close to home for this Fire Department. They have lost members to cancer, they have cancer survivors (some still on active duty), and they have firemen/women battling cancer at this moment (some still on active duty).

This year the Corpus Christi Fire Department will again be selling a newly designed t-shirt to support the fight against breast cancer. They hope to sell and raise even more money this year, but they need our help. The t-shirts, which half the proceeds goes to the Cancer Society and the other half goes to the Fire Department Cancer fund, will be available to purchase starting September 1st. You can purchase your Fight Against Breast Cancer t-shirt at the Corpus Christi Fire Department Union Hall located at 6014 Ayers. You can also reach the Union Hall by telephone to place your order, the number is 361-814-4437. The t-shirt prices are $10 for all sizes up to XL and $12 for sizes 2XL and larger.

In the month of October these shirts will be the Corpus Christi Fire Departments uniform every Weds., Thurs., and Fri. starting October 5th. So each shift will wear their shirt and show their support 4 times in the month of October. We should all show our support at least once that month.

Along with the selling of the newly designed breast cancer t-shirts, the Corpus Christi Fire Department is participating in the "Make Strides To End Breast Cancer" program. This is a 5k walk/run that will be held Saturday October 22, 2011. The event will start at the Corpus Christi Water Gardens downtown.

Making Stride Against Breast Cancer is a powerful and inspiring event that brings the community together to celebrate people that have beaten, that have battled, or even succumbed to breast cancer. It also raises awareness about how we can help to prevent this deadly disease. It also raises money to help aid in research and hopefully some day find a cure.

With your participation in the Corpus Christi Fire Department's Fight Against Breast Cancer t-shirt program and/or the Making Strides Benefit, you can be sure your donation is going to a good cause. The dollars may be used to help someone with breast cancer find a ride to a cancer treatment center, help women obtain mammograms, provide resources and support for breast cancer patients, fund research and possibly find a cure. It is money well placed.                                                                

Thank you to the Corpus Christi Fire Department, the American Cancer Society, and YOU for help in the fight against breast cancer.

If you would like more information on the Corpus Christi Fire Department's Fight Against Breast Cancer t-shirt please contact the CCFD Union Hall at 361-814-4437 or go to http://www.corpuschristifirefighters.org/

If you would like more information on the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event please visit www.cancer.org/stridesonline