The battle against breast cancer

THERE STILL ARE PLACES in the world where breast cancer and other life-threatening diseases are talked about in whispers--if they even are talked about at all. During my two-year term of service as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Hungary, I had the opportunity to play a role in opening up public dialogue about breast cancer, a disease that claims the lives of 40 people every hour around the globe. Even though Hungary is located near some of the world's most renowned centers of medical excellence, a startling number of its people lack access to adequate health care. Still more do not have the resources necessary to make informed lifestyle choices or take charge of their own well being.

As I assessed the general health situation in Hungary and studied the nation's breast cancer statistics, I was reminded of the reason I set out, more than 20 years ago, to establish the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation: There virtually was no information about breast cancer at the time because people were ashamed to talk about the disease. In 1982, when I established the Foundation, it was the result of a promise I made to my beloved sister, Susan, who died of breast cancer at age 36. She asked me to do everything in my power to eradicate the disease and to ensure that patients had access to information, effective treatment options, and emotional support. Too many women had suffered and died in silence. My mission was to get people working together to find a cure.

I was reminded of that mission as I undertook my term of ambassadorial service in Hungary in 2001. Medical advancements had improved the survival odds for many women. New surgical and therapeutic options lessened the trauma of treatment. Women could access vital information about breast cancer from many different sources.

The following quote from a West Point graduate has stuck with--and sustained--me when the challenges seemed too big and the odds too long: "Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. And expect more than others think is possible."

In Hungary, I learned a great deal about the human spirit and what is involved in empowering individuals to take control of their health--a fundamental step in improving the overall quality of human lives. Hungary is not alone in facing one of the main issues that continues to challenge a number of nations, including the U.S. That is, the struggle to provide adequate health care for its citizens. This remains a huge need, even in those countries where access to good health care historically has been viewed as a birthright. For example, the American Cancer Society's Breast Cancer Facts & Figures contains some very disturbing news. On one hand, the report shows that advancements in cancer treatment and early detection are having a positive impact on the overall mortality rate in the U.S. On the other, 30% more African-American women than Caucasians are dying of the disease. The ACS report also shows a higher incidence of breast cancer among young African-American females. In addition, black women tend to present with tumors that are large and disease that has spread, thus they have a significantly lower five-year survival rate than their Caucasian sisters.

The widening disparities in breast cancer mortality rates between white and black women raise many questions and concerns about socioeconomic factors, which often are at the root of issues concerning access to, and quality of, care received. In order to ensure that communities across all strata of society have access to proper health care, everyone must become a health advocate and invest of oneself in finding a solution to the problem. Government, industry, and nonprofit organizations must come together to devise solutions and meet outstanding needs.

There are three time-tested components involved in the process: First, engage people on the street. Meet individuals where they live, work, play, shop, or worship. Reach out to average citizens using nontraditional methods. These approaches need not cost billions of dollars or require another government agency. They can be as simple as gathering a group of women to take a symbolic walk together across a historic bridge, or as exciting as gathering thousands of people in a given community to take part in a fitness event for a cause, like our Foundation's signature Race for the Cure series. In an age of growing technological inroads, it often is the human-to-human, down-to-earth sharing of concerns, commitment, and information that means the most. An essential component of any healthy society is building awareness and educating people--teaching the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles and providing the tools that allow individuals to take charge of their own health.

Second, practice grassroots diplomacy. Traditional diplomacy builds alliances and coalitions among nations. Grassroots diplomacy strengthens bonds among people and builds strong, determined nations. In countries like Hungary, the American spirit of "can-do" volunteerism remains a kind of mystery. Only now--more than a decade after the lifting of the Iron Curtain--is something akin to an independent civil society and nonprofit sector taking hold.