(I meant to post this yesterday, but my mom was here in town, so things got away from me!)

It’s October, and that means that it’s Breast Cancer Awareness month! As many of you know, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2000 - she found the cancer through a self-exam, and it NEVER showed up on the mammogram (so do your self-exam!). She has been in remission since August 2000, and she is an incredible woman!

There are so many things that we can do to help prevent the risk of breast cancer - exercise, watching what we eat (somethings are good for us - others not so much), and maintaining a healthy lifestyle that includes breast self-exams (BSE) and mammograms. Throughout the month I’ll be posting things that will help us be more aware!

Here are some links to national sites about breast cancer: FitSugar

Don’t forget to stop by The Breast Cancer Site to click - this helps give free mammograms to underprivileged women, and it’s so easy to go click once a day: The Breast Cancer Site

Here are my other posts about breast cancer: Breast Cancer Posts

Here is one post that I want EVERYONE to read: Inflammatory Breast Cancer

If you have any questions about breast cancer or my family’s personal experience with it, I am VERY open about this topic, and will answer any questions you may have - please don’t take this subject lightly!

Breast Cancer Awarenss Ribbon Gifts originally uploaded by The Taif Healthy City Programme.

Thirteen posts on my blog that I like in particular!

Only one person responded to my quiz from last week, so I haven’t posted the answers yet - please check it out and let me know your thoughts!

And yes, this is a slightly self-centered T13 . . . but I really couldn’t think of anything else! Note - many of these are T13 posts

1. My post on inflammatory breast cancer - not many people know about this, and it is a HUGE silent killer! I particularly like this one because the mom you see in the video sent me an email after I posted this! (Updated with video)

2. One lesson learned the hard way - backup everything on your computer! (Updated)

3. The Closet Caper - this was such an intense project, and I was very proud of my documentary style on the blog ;-)! And you’ll all by happy to know that the closet still looks like that - woo hoo!

4. Pictures from our cruise to Europe - this was probably my favorite T13!

5. When I initially posted about my 101 in 1001, I had no idea that I was still going to be going strong a year later - wow, this has been great!

6. My post of 13 Firefox extensions I can’t live without - also the post I have with the most comments. 47!

7. Some great personal finance resources that I’ve found online!

8. I only posted about this recently, but I found the best light bulbs EVER, and it seems like my post may have sparked (pun intended) a bunch of bloggers to go buy these great bulbs!

9. This video made by Dove never ceases to amaze me. What kind of world do we live in?

10. Cheesy, yes, but very much from the heart. I love my parents.

11. Another great environmental tip - get rid of the junk mail WITH NO EFFORT!

12. We all know I love the quizzes . . .

13. And, how could I forget, when I became a T13 hostess!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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There’s an EXTREMELY deadly form of breast cancer that almost NO ONE knows about!!!! It’s called Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC), and even cancer helplines haven’t heard of it. It’s extremely difficult to detect - it won’t show up on a mammogram, and you won’t be able to feel it in a Breast Self Exam!

There is no lump to feel. IBC shows up more like a thin sheet of cancer, and it goes undetected all the time. Please click this link for more information from a local news station in Seattle. Make sure that you watch the first video in the list “The Silent Killer: Inflammatory Breast Cancer” for shocking photos of breasts with IBC.

Since this cancer is so often overlooked, most people don’t catch it until they are in Stage 4, which means they will die. Patients with IBC often say that had they known what the symptoms were, they probably would have caught it much sooner, but since they weren’t aware of what they needed to be watching for, they didn’t give much thought to their symptoms.

Please watch this. One of the women interviewed is in her late thirties. There are pictures of a woman who died from IBC - AT SIXTEEN!!!!! It IS affecting young women!!!! Please please check this out! It could save your life!

UPDATE - Here is the video linked to above: