Pink Ribbons are Pretty But Not Enough

October 16 is this Friday. Grab a red marker and circle it in your calendar. When you’re at friends’ houses, relatives’ houses, and especially your mother’s house, take it with you, and pen in a big, fat, red circle around the 16. You may even want to write in, “National Mammography Day.”

Like STDs, pregnancy, sexual assault, skin cancer, urinary tract infections and a host of other things that women have come to realize that we simply can’t ignore—or think they won’t affect us in some way or another—breast cancer is not something we can ignore. It’s the second most common cancer in women, and the number one killer of Hispanic women. Statistics show that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer—which mean that if it isn’t you, it’s likely going to be someone you care about.

Make an effort to feel your boobies. Seriously, it’s that important. And while you’re at it, if you’ve got an increased risk of breast cancer, or you’re forty years of age or older, get a mammogram. Schedule it today.

The beauty of National Mammography Day, sponsored by the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month organization, is that radiologists give out free (or reduced price) mammograms throughout the country. While I’ll argue tooth and nail that screenings should be free for everybody, I won’t argue that the cost makes it not worth doing. This is one of those times that if you have to borrow money, sell a watch, or put off a minor bill for a week to get something done, you do it. It’s just that important.

Yes, I’m pretty vehement about breast health. But having two grandmothers die to the disease and knowing dozens of other people who have suffered from it sort of makes you that way. Pink ribbons are pretty but not enough; we have to stay on top of our health. It’s our responsibility to our families and ourselves. Breasts are lovely, life-sustaining glands that can cause men to leer and do stupid things; they are also, as comedian Louis CK says, in need of maintenance and care, which includes mammograms.

For those of you who have never had a mammogram yet, it is an actual x-ray of the breast. It takes two x-rays and can find tumors that feeling your breasts just won’t show (tumors too small to feel). It can also pick up calcium deposits in your breasts, which can sometimes indicate the presence of cancer. Women over forty are recommended to have screenings every 1 to 2 years; if you have Medicare, it will generally cover an annual screening.

It does “smash” your breast, as people say, and is usually not the most comfortable procedure in the world. However, those minutes of discomfort can provide you with months of peace of mind—and potentially save your life.

To find organizations providing free mammograms, click here.

To give free clicks to fund mammograms for low income women, visit The Breast Cancer Site or to give free clicks to fund cure research, visit Care2.com.