October is breast cancer awareness month, so let’s talk about boobs. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) was created to stress the importance of annual mammograms and self breast exams in the prevention of breast cancer. “Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States,” The American Cancer Society website states. “The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her life is about one in eight.”  

One in eight.

Between family, friends and co-workers, there are twenty women in my life who are important to me. Statistically speaking, two of them could get breast cancer. When I think about it in those terms, it’s a little hard to breathe. But the website also stated that the number of women who die each year from the disease has been steadily declining, most likely because of early detection and improved treatment—the two driving issues behind NBCAM. Good news there. 

Thirty years ago, no one talked about breast cancer. Today, professional athletes will wear pink uniforms, and hockey arenas regularly dye their ice pink to raise money and awareness. We’ve come a long way thanks to women around the world who dragged the disease out of the shadows and forced the medical community to pay attention. Breast cancer isn’t a death sentence anymore, thanks to a fabulously successful campaign to educate women on how to be proactive and take care of their own boobs (in addition to their husbands).

Perhaps it’s because we’re women that we are also cursed with the disease to please. We spend so much of our time taking care of others that we forget to take care of ourselves. Still, it’s hard to imagine why we would need pink ribbons and other external reminders check for lumps. Look in the mirror everyday and there are the best reminders, hanging out six inches below our chins (unless you’ve hit a certain age, and then it’s closer to twelve).

Christina Applegate was on Oprah taking about her very public battle with breast cancer.  She was tested for what’s called the breast cancer gene, as her mother and grandmother both had the disease. But one thing I learned on that show is not to let genetics decide how you take care of yourself. You don’t get a free pass just because no one in your family has ever had the disease. Check yourself. Christina, diagnosed with breast cancer on one side, decided to do the full magilla and had a double mastectomy.  Not to get all anti-man here, but if one in eight men were confronted with a disease with a treatment option that included the cutting off something important, there would be no need for pink ribbons. We would have had a cure centuries ago. 

And isn’t curious that there is a blood test that detects prostate cancer in men yet women need to have their boobs squeezed in between two metal plates to be x-rayed? Considering women have, in fact, had boobs for a number of years, seems like we could have come up with something a little more dignified by now, but still, it’s a teeny tiny price to pay and way better than the alternative.  

I think we should have mammogram parties. We’ve all got enough candles and baskets and jewelry. Get all your friends together, get a limo and go for a simple and relatively painless test. Then get back in the car, crack open the champagne and go for a nice dinner and a movie. Make it one more girly way to take care of yourself. Because if we don’t, who will? 

Make an appointment for a mammogram right now, because according to one woman who is struggling now with the disease, cancer sucks.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Leah James is a special contributor to 101magic.com. Write to her at 101magic@clearchannel.com.