In the middle of the Caribbean it was a hard week to relax completely knowing that my promise of doing a good deed was looming over my head like a rain cloud. While I was excited to kick back and enjoy the fruits of life with my girlfriend, I couldn't help but think of what I could be doing to make a difference. And although we were generous with our tips and even helped the local economies of Cozumel, Grand Caymen and Ocho Rios, I don't think that my consumerism would quite qualify for a good deed. Since I started this project the one thing that I've learned from doing this project is that when you get an opportunity to do something for other people, JUST DO IT! And so it was a no brainer for me when I saw on our itinerary that Carnival Cruise lines was sponsoring a walk for breast cancer on its top deck 1,500 miles from our US port in Miami. Before our mile walk we were told that by 2020 everyone in America will know someone either family, friends or co-workers with breast cancer. As I heard those words and looked around at the half dozen breast cancer survivors around me, I thought of my own family and my Grandmother who I never knew who lost her life to breast cancer when my Mother was only 14.
No words that I type can describe how much more work must be done to cure this disease. I'll just leave you with a few figures:
-500,000 Americans will die of Cancer this year (40,000 from Breast Cancer)
-1,500 Americans die of Cancer each day
-1 in 8 women (12%) will develop Breast Cancer in their lifetime
-Cancer will surpass heart disease as the leading cause of death this year
-Approximately 200,000 cases of invasive Breast Cancer will be diagnosed this year
-The American Cancer Society estimates that 25-30% of all Cancer deaths could be prevented by early diagnosis and treatment
*There are 2.5 million Breast Cancer survivors in the US today!
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