Young Survivors in Action

According to the American Cancer Society, in 2003,  13,700 women under the age of 40 were diagnosed with breast cancer, and about 1,400 women under the age of 40 died from the disease. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women ages 30 to 55. By age 30, a woman's chance of getting breast cancer in the next 10 years is 1 in 235.

Young women who are diagnosed with breast cancer have special needs that are not shared by older women diagnosed with this disease. Realizing that no other organization was fully addressing young women's needs, DBCC started Young Survivors in Action ("YSIA") in May 2000.

This new initiative serves two functions. First, YSIA supports young women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and addresses their special needs by providing information and resources on issues such as preserving fertility during treatment, selecting birth control after treatment, getting pregnant after breast cancer and dealing with young children.

Second, YSIA educates young women in their 20s and 30s about the importance of doing their self breast exams on a monthly basis and learning about and acting on their family histories.