Breast Cancer Awareness Month: A Cause Worth Advocating For

By Ahmie Baum

We often become compassionate about a mission when an experience touches our personal lives. While some know, many here may not; I lost my sister to breast cancer when she was just 51 years old. While losing her too soon was devastating, it has led me to honor her by speaking out on the topic and spreading awareness during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

It’s common to see the touch of pink intertwined into our daily lives. But behind the pink ribbons, it’s a message many promote due to the all-too-common diagnosis. Instead of our normal personal and business finance blogs, we’re dedicating this space to breast cancer awareness today in hopes of sparking action from all our readers.

Whether it’s to take your own preventative measures, encourage a loved one, make a donation, or help spread the word, we can all take action in advocating for cancer screenings and early prevention.

Breast Cancer Statistics

According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc., there has been a dip in screenings and early prevention. (1) The decline is often correlated to the COVID-19 pandemic changing how we make decisions regarding what type of care to pursue.

We’ll let these numbers tell the true story. These statistics shed light on the prevalence of this disease, and put the importance of screening into perspective:

About 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 13%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
Breast cancer is amongst the most commonly diagnosed cancers among American women. In 2021, it’s estimated that about 30% of newly diagnosed cancers in women will be breast cancers.
A woman’s risk of breast cancer nearly doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. BUT about 85% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer. (2)

Screen and Early Detection

Whether you know it’s time to schedule an exam or you’d like more information, I can’t encourage you enough to act soon. Speaking with your medical provider to determine the best course of action for you is always a good first step. To learn more about the when and how of screening, you can also reference the CDC’s Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines. (3)

Family history, age, and gender all factor into which course of action is best for you. While I’m not a doctor, the statistics around early detection are too good not to share: “Women whose breast cancer is detected at an early stage have a 93 percent or higher survival rate in the first five years.” (4)

The mammogram is the most common form of screening for breast cancer detection. “Regular mammograms are the best tests doctors have to find breast cancer early, sometimes up to three years before it can be felt.” (5) So while scheduling a mammogram can feel like an inconvenience or the discomfort has you pushing it off—remember that it’s only a few moments that has the potential to save your life.

Our Commitment to Guidance, Education, and Resources

While we plan to stick primarily to business and finance-related education for the future, our practice is built on the compassionate understanding of each client’s unique circumstances. While breast cancer has personally affected me and my family in the loss of my sister, we understand you may have a story of your own.

We ask that you consider how you can take action for yourself or in encouraging those around you. And please reach out if we can be of any assistance. We wholeheartedly believe a business and financial plan should be targeted at your personal goals and nimble enough to pivot when life throws us a curveball. You can reach us at team@interchangecp.com or call our office at 412-307-4230.

About Ahmie

Ahmie E. Baum is the CEO and Founder of Interchange Capital Partners. Using a collaborative and comprehensive process developed over 43 years of working with wall street banks and financial services firms on behalf of families.

Interchange Capital Partners provides family office and transition strategy services for family businesses, helping families protect and grow their family capital with clarity, understanding, and action by being relevant and resourceful around their unique circumstances.

As a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Ahmie began his career with EF Hutton in 1979 and transitioned to UBS in 1993. Ahmie is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®), received the Executive Certificate in Financial Planning from Duquesne University School of Leadership and Professional Advancement and has a Certificate in Family Business Advising (CFBA) from the Family Firm Institute. He also has Certificates from The Growth Institute around Growing and Scaling Business and Cash Management. For the past 20 years, he has been involved with Strategic Coach, an international entrepreneurial training program

When he’s not working, Ahmie enjoys spending time with his wife, Sara, their three children, and their granddaughters. He recognizes that health is wealth so he has committed to daily yoga, meditation, and plant-based eating. His other hobbies include woodturning, golf, reading, listening to music, and biking. He is active in his community and served as the Foundation Chair of the Jewish Federation Community Foundation of Greater Pittsburgh and supports the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBS). To learn more about Ahmie, connect with him on LinkedIn.

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(1) https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-awareness-month

(2) https://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/statistics

(3) https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/pdf/breast-cancer-screening-guidelines-508.pdf

(4) https://www.carolmilgardbreastcenter.org/early-detection

(5) https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/basic_info/mammograms.htm