As ambassadors for the Real Men Wear Pink, AIP Marketing Alliance’s “Team AIP” wanted to share some statistics and information on why our team is supporting the American Cancer Society’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month throughout October.

This year’s team of Darron Markwood, AIPMA Vice President of Marketing, and Brian Kurtz, AIP Financial Services President, will collaborate their efforts as Team AIP to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer by hosting local fundraisers to contribute to the Real Men Wear Pink of Oakland County.

Currently, this RMWP of Oakland County group has combined their efforts to raise more than $200,000 in donations for the American Cancer Society. Team AIP’s goal is $5,000 for 2021 – and our team believes we should surpass that goal early in October. You are welcome to support our efforts and donate at Team AIP’s page.

“If you follow me on social media, then you know how much being a part of Real Men Wear Pink means to me – especially this year more than ever,” Markwood said. “A month ago, a high school friend was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer and recently had her first chemotherapy treatment. I talked to her husband, and once you hear about someone impacted by cancer, then you really understand why we get involved with the Real Men Wear Pink. I’m #staceystrong to personally support her as well as all those affected by breast cancer.”

“My wife also has been impacted as one of her friends finished the chemotherapy treatment, but still is affected by breast cancer’s impact. That’s two people close to our family – and part of thousands more that I hope to help with this year’s Real Men Wear Pink campaign.”

According to the American Cancer Society’s cancer.org website, Team AIP wanted to share some key breast cancer statistics in the US.

• For women, the 3 most common cancers are breast, lung, and colorectal, accounting for 50% of all new diagnoses. Breast cancer alone accounts for 30% of newly diagnosed invasive cancers in women.
• About 281,550 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2021. Incidence rates have increased slightly—by about 0.5% a year on average—in the last decade. This may be due in part to increased obesity and women having fewer children or having their first child after age 30.
• About 12% of women who are screened for breast cancer have an abnormal mammogram, but only 5% of these women have cancer.
• About 43,600 women will die from the disease in 2021. For women, the death rate declined 41% between 1989 and 2018.
• Not all women have benefited equally from this progress. Non-Hispanic Black women at every age are more likely to die from breast cancer. The higher breast cancer death rate in Black women in part reflects the higher number of diagnoses of triple negative breast cancer in Black women. Black women are twice as likely as women of other racial and ethnic groups in the US to be diagnosed with this harder-to-treat cancer.
• Black women do not have the same access to high-quality cancer care compared to white women. They are more likely to be screened at lower resourced and nonaccredited facilities, to go longer between mammograms, and to wait longer for a follow-up exam after getting an abnormal result.
• Breast cancer is not only a women’s disease. In 2021, 2,650 men will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and 530 men will die from it.

For more information on breast cancer, AIPMA encourages you to share this link to the American Cancer Society’s breast cancer resources. You also can contact their helpline at (800) 227-2345. You can track Team AIP’s progress and fundraiser efforts throughout Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Thank you to everyone who has supported our program!