BY JENNIFER GOODSTEIN | Our best scoops come from you, our loyal readers. You told us how much you enjoyed our inaugural Brooklyn, Queens and Bronx “pink paper” issues last year to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and asked us to make it an annual print tradition.
We are delighted to oblige, with a focus this year on volunteers. They are the unsung heroes whose efforts behind the scenes are instrumental in turning tragedy into triumph for millions of Americans every year. These selfless individuals, families, community groups, schools and corporations toil diligently and mostly without fanfare — sometimes around the clock — to do their part in helping to conquer a potentially killer disease that will claim the lives of 40,000 women and 440 men before the year ends, according to the American Cancer Society.
The good news is:
• There are more than 2.8 million breast cancer survivors in the United States today.
• The five-year relative survival rate for female invasive breast cancer patients has jumped from 75 percent in the mid-1970s to 90 percent today.
The strides can be attributed in no small measure to the ordinary people who rise to the extraordinary occasion, demonstrating time and again the incredible strength and power of unity when affliction strikes. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an opportunity for us at NYC Community Media and Community News Group to praise altruists of all stripes, share some of their stories, and herald them for commandeering the spirit needed to aid and support the stricken on their difficult journey to good health.
Like most people, my husband and I have had friends and family who have battled cancer, including a close friend who has survived three bouts with breast cancer. Anyone who has watched the impact of this terrible disease on sufferers and their loved ones understands the urgent need to find a cure.
We hope our second annual “pink paper” publications and their inspirational stories about our common human desire to help others will encourage our readers to volunteer in their communities, in order to give breast cancer patients the hope and support they urgently need and deserve.
Goodstein is publisher, NYC Community Media, and president, Community News Group
