Young Black women: Check your risk

Too often breast cancer is thought of as a disease that impacts older women, but nearly 10% of all breast cancer cases in the United States are found in women younger than 45 years of age. If you’re young and Black, like Monisha, the risks, incidence of diagnosis, and death rate are far greater than if you’re young and white. Still, far too many young women of color don’t know their risk for this disease or how to lower it.

“It wasn’t until I was diagnosed that we started having conversations about our family history,” says Monisha, who is associate director of marketing for Living Beyond Breast Cancer. “I share my story in hopes that it will encourage other young women to know their family health history and be their biggest advocate.”

With stories like Monisha’s all too common, Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) is working to change the narrative by joining the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)’s Bring Your Brave Campaign.

Launched in 2015, the Bring Your Brave Campaign is about using information, frank conversations, and real stories of young women whose lives have been impacted by breast cancer to generate awareness and ensure young women not only know their risk but also know what they can do about it.

What are the risks?

Risk for breast cancer among young women varies based on a multitude of factors, such as family and personal history of cancer, genetic mutations, as well as not being physically active and drinking alcohol. However, research from LBBC’s National Needs Assessment of Young Women and TOUCH The Black Breast Cancer Experience confirms that young Black women are disproportionately impacted by this disease.

• Black women under 35 get breast cancer at two times the rate of white women and die at three times the rate.
• About 30% of all newly diagnosed Black breast cancer patients are younger than 50 years old.
• Black women are just as likely to have hereditary breast cancer mutations as white women, yet their participation in genetic counseling and testing is lower.

How to face your risks

Knowing can be terrifying. “Bringing your brave” is about challenging yourself to face your risks—and your fears—head on. You can #BringYourBrave by:

• knowing the facts
• sharing your story
• having meaningful conversations with you family
• leaning on community
• advocating for yourself and others
• getting the necessary screenings and tests

Facing it together

At LBBC we make it our mission to ensure no one faces breast cancer uninformed or alone. Join us in supporting the #BringYourBrave campaign by sharing social media posts and resources. Tag LBBC in your posts and invite others to share how they bring their brave through sharing stories about prevention, risk, family history, and survivorship. Together, we can change the conversation.