I was 37 when Charlotte Haley introduced the first peach-colored ribbon in 1991 for breast cancer awareness. It seemed a good way to show support for fellow women dealing with breast cancer.
As everything becomes monetized and used for promotional purposes, it was later adopted and changed to the iconic pink by Estée Lauder and Self magazine in 1992. And now, before I use info from a BC support site, I spend time reading who benefits from this “support” site as some are money making sites or headed by lawyers looking to increase clients.
Our medical system has been based on detecting and treating disease, and with the insurance company funding prevention has had no place. I’m pretty sure if you are a cash only patient, and the doctor is not longer limited by the insurance contract patients sign, we would receive more preventative care. With enormously expensive medical equipment (scans, precision radiation, robotic supports) doctors tend to get locked into large medical systems that are aligned with care driven by insurance reimbursements.

Maybe the near future will have insurance companies recognizing the monetary benefit of preventative care. But what also comes with that is following minimizing options, as some socialized medicine systems do.
Would I have been told to wait and see if I was diagnosed today with the DCIS found in 2022? Probably. Would I be happy with hormone therapy only and stress laden 6 month scans for years? No, actually. I’m glad I had surgery. Surgery which may no longer be a funded option in the near future.