Hannah Mahon

How much of a difference can someone make in a month?

That’s the question we’re asking you this July. For one month, CSC will be displaying a banner in a window at Rockefeller Plaza, New York to inform people of the free services CSC offers to people affected by cancer.

The banner reads, “Everyone knows someone touched by cancer. I am a…” to show how no matter where we live or who we are, there is one experience that is universal: we’ve all known someone affected by cancer that has needed support, and we’ve all wanted to help them.

Now, you have the power to make an actual difference in your loved ones’ lives. The more people know about the resources CSC provides, the more we can help ease the physical and emotional toll that cancer takes.

All this month as part of our #ThankANurse campaign, we asked our followers for stories, moments and instances where they were thankful for the nurses in their lives, and we were touched at reading the heartfelt words of gratitude and admiration that patients had to say about their nurses. More than that, we were astounded by the number of people who remarked on the powerful effect that their nurses had upon them and their treatment.

This new campaign by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Eric Stonestreet of ABC’s Modern Family gives people the opportunity to “Raise your flag” in support of someone they know who is affected by cancer. In thirty seconds, anyone can create a virtual flag with the name of the person they support and share it on the Ready. Raise. Rise. page, as well as on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to let them know they’re not alone.

But that’s not the best part.

Let’s face it. It can be easy to feel disconnected from the government. Sometimes you may feel like your voice isn’t important. But luckily, for the 13.7 million people in the United States impacted by cancer, that’s not the case. Your voice is VERY important! What many Americans don’t realize is that they have the power to not only make their voice heard, but also to be an advocate for people impacted by cancer.

Every year in April, we host our annual Spring Celebration—an elegant evening of dinner, dancing and fun with many of our close friends in the cancer community. We also take this night to honor and celebrate the strides made to help us achieve our mission, “to ensure that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action and sustained by community.” This year we are honoring four special people who have inspired us and who have made significant contributions to the community. Learn more about the 2015 Founders Award Honorees:

Yesterday, Angelina Jolie Pitt made headlines when she revealed her decision to surgically remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes, due to an estimated 50% risk that she would develop ovarian cancer. The risk stems from a hereditary mutated gene, the BRCA1, which not only affected Jolie’s ovaries, but gave her an 87% chance of developing breast cancer as well (before her double mastectomy in 2013).

We sometimes forget that even celebrities face challenges which can make them feel lost and without control, but the emotional effects of cancer are universal. People say cancer doesn’t discriminate, but that’s not true; cancer is an unfair disease which affects the population unequally, and the sad truth is that some of us are more at risk for certain cancers based on our genetic backgrounds than others. But just because you carry a gene doesn’t mean that you don’t have options.

In 2014, the Sinai Urban Health Institute and the Avon Foundation for Women conducted a study of the death rates of white and black women due to breast cancer in 50 of the nation’s largest cities over a period of 20 years. The results were striking:

Though white women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, on average black women are 40% more likely to die from it.

The most lethal city is Memphis, TN where black women are more than twice as likely to succumb to the disease.

Cities with the highest disparity rates are cities where there are geographically separated medical centers that serve either primarily black or white patients (with little racial mixing).

The mortality rates were relatively even until 1995. After that, white women’s rates declined while black women’s rates stayed the same.