Not only can you prepare, financially, against an unexpectedly early death, but there are precautions you can take to stay alive longer. According to the website www.BreastCancer.org, some of the key factors related to the incidence of breast cancer are:
Those you can’t change –
- Being a woman (although men can get breast cancer too).
- Getting older (2/3 of breast cancers are discovered on women over age 55).
- Genetics (this cancer tends to travel in families)
- Personal history (there is a high chance of recurrence)
- Race/Ethnicity (White women may get breast cancer more than Black or Asian women, but Blacks more often experience more severe cases.)
Those you can change --
- being overweight (Overweight and obese women -- defined as having a BMI (body mass index) over 25 -- have a higher risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer compared to women who maintain a healthy weight),
- lack of exercise (4 or more hours of intense exercise can reduce chances of breast cancer),
- smoking cigarettes (Smoking also can increase complications from breast cancer treatment, including:
- damage to the lungs from radiation therapy
- difficulty healing after surgery and breast reconstruction
- higher risk of blood clots when taking hormonal therapy medicines
- Regular drinking (Compared to women who don't drink at all, women who have three alcoholic drinks per week have a 15% higher risk of breast cancer.)
- Eating unhealthy food (Overweight women are thought to be at higher risk for breast cancer because the extra fat cells make estrogen, which can cause extra breast cancer cell growth.)
There are many more insights on staying alive at the BreastCancer.Org website. The point is that avoiding an early death through lifestyle choices is a part of a sound financial plan.