The Beaded Warrior Project

"Whoever said winning isn't everything, never had to fight Cancer."

Chances are - you, or someone you know, is in the midst of battling her own physical and spiritual war against breast cancer.

Main Line Bead Society is proud to announce
"The Beaded Warrior Project".
A community outreach project specifically designed to create public awareness and remind women (and men) currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer that they are not alone, and surely not forgotten in their battle back to wellness.

Our goal is to collect "Warrior" beads each month in various colors of pinks, whites, crystals, clears, and pearls; lampworked and polymer clay
beads, fibers, charms, and findings.

Once enough beads are collected - we will host a community beading event with our members to create exclusive "MLBS Warrior Jewelry" to be then distributed free to women at treatment centers across our community.

Your donations and involvement are crucial to the success of this project. Imagine how our Beaded Warriors will feel, going to battle
wearing an armor of love and community.

Please drop your donations off at each meeting when you sign in.
Thank you in advance for your commitment and enthusiasm!

Please take a moment now to help fund free mammograms by
clicking on the Free Mammogram button at this site:

www.thebreastcancersite.com

Fact:

One out of eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer if they live past the age of 85, a risk that in 1960 was one out of 14.
An estimated 212,920 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the US during 2006. (This does not take DCIS into account). About 1,720 new cases of breast cancer are expected in men.
An estimated 41,430 breast cancer deaths are anticipated this year (40,970 women, 460 men).
Female breast cancer rates have continued to increase, although at a slower rate than in years past. The ACS says the increase may be due to screening using mammography. The increase in female breast cancer, according to the ACS, may also reflect increased use of hormone replacement therapy and/or increased prevalence of obesity.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in American women.
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for women 40-55 years of age.
There are 2 million women living in the U.S. who have been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. There are another 1 million women living with breast cancer who have not yet been diagnosed.
Every woman is at risk for breast cancer, and that risk increases with age. About 77 percent of breast cancer diagnoses occur in women age 50 and older.
Seventy percent of breast cancers occur in women who have no identifiable risk factors.
More than 80 percent of breast lumps are benign (not cancerous).
The risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer increases for women whose mother, sister, daughter or two or more close relatives have had the disease. It is important to know how old they were at the time they were diagnosed.
Women who begin menstruating before age 12 are at increased risk of developing breast cancer. The more menstrual cycles a woman has over her lifetime, the more likely she is to get the disease.

To learn more statistics, including those for different ethnic groups, visit the American Cancer Society. Information from Cancer Facts & Figures 2006, American Cancer Society.