The Pink Ribbon that has promoted awareness of breast cancer since 1992 is one of the most effective and indelible public campaigns in recent memory.  Inspired by the yellow ribbon campaign for hostages held by Iran in 1979 and the Red ribbon campaign for HIV/AIDS awareness in the early 90s, the pink ribbon was first promoted by the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and made national with the publication of a Self magazine issue in 1992 that used the
iconic image.

Over time, the sign of a pink ribbon has become inextricably linked with the prevalence of both breast cancer and the search for a cure.  Along with prostate cancer, breast cancer is one of the most common cancers found in people every year.

According to the Cancer Data Registry of Idaho, on average 220 male and female Idahoans die of breast cancer each year from 2017-2021, though in the ten years prior to 2020, 9,600 Idahoans are living after having received a breast cancer diagnosis.  From 2016-2020 6,687 malignant breast cancers were diagnosed among female Idahoans, and 59 among males.

According to the same research, 11 in 100 female Idahoans will die from their cancer within five years of diagnosis, and 82 of 100 will still be alive within the same five years.  7 in 100 female Idahoans will die of something other than cancer in that time.

Early detection is the most important factor in positive longterm outcomes, and mammograms are recommended for all women at average risk of breast cancer beginning at the age of 40.  Screenings are recommended at younger ages for women at higher risk, which is a result of factors such as: known BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations, first degree relatives (parent, sibling, child) with the gene mutation, and radiation therapy to the chest between the ages of 10 and 30.   

Although breast cancer has a very high occurrence rate, it isn’t always predictable in how it becomes a factor in people’s lives.  Local cancer survivor Jean Thomas found herself too busy for many years to received regular mammograms, or at least that’w what she told herself at the time.  “Oh, I didn’t have time for that,” she explained.  “I always had things I needed to do instead.”  After having a conversation with a friend who had just been diagnosed, Thomas decided to make a screening appointment in Pocatello.  She was called later that day after her drive home and given the news that she had cancer.  “It was a shock, of course,” she remembers. 

She was lucky.  In her case, the cancer was Stage 1, and did not require chemotherapy.  She had a mass the size of a golf ball removed, and then nearly two months of radiation, after which the cancer went into remission.  “It could have been a lot worse,” she said.

For Marilyn Morley it was a lot worse.  Her story is almost the mirror image of Thomas’s.  She had regular mammograms and was aware of the risk.  During one routine screening, she was told that cancer was detected and was at Stage 3.  After surgery, she went through chemotherapy at the hospital in Malad and radiation at Portneuf in Pocatello.

Luckily, despite losing her hair during chemo, her cancer also went into remission, and she is recovering and in good health.

“Anybody can get it,” Morley says.  While family history is a clear red flag, the disease can strike anyone at any age.  “Get your screening,” Morley advises.  “It gives you peace of mind.  My story and the outcome could have been very different.”

Nell J Redfield hosts 3D mammograms every 2nd Tuesday of the month.  You can call 208-766-2231 to schedule an appointment with the mammogram bus.