Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among women in the United States. It is the 2nd leading cause of death from cancer among women. Only lung cancer kills more women each year.

For that reason, AIP Marketing Alliance is launching this special edition of our blog to support the fight against breast cancer by the American Cancer Society as October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

This cause has become very special to Vice President of Marketing and Compliance Officer Darron Markwood as he has supported the ACS efforts for more than a decade through the Men Wear Pink Ambassador campaign and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk.

“I have met many women – and a few men – who have fought the battle against breast cancer… and their fight has truly hit so close to home for me,” Markwood said. “Meeting the survivors each year at the walks and fundraising events motivates me to do more to help the American Cancer Society, and it hurts when I see those who have lost their respective battle to this disease.”

According to the American Cancer Society, these staggering facts show how prevalent breast cancer has become as there currently is not a cure for this disease.

• Approximately 1 in 8 women in the US (13.1%) will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and 1 in 4 (2.3%) will die from the disease
• In 2024, an estimated 310,720 new invasive breast cancers and 56,500 cases of ductal carcinoma in situ will be diagnosed among women in the US, and an additional 2,790 cases will be diagnosed in men.
• In 2024, approximately 42,250 women and 530 men are expected to die from breast cancer
• Breast cancer incidence increased during the most recent decade of data (2012-2021) by 1% annually overall, with a steeper increase among women younger than 50 years (1.4% per year) than in those 50 or older (0.7% per year)
• The 5-year relative survival rate for breast cancer is 91%, but drops to 86% at 10 years and 81% at 15 years after diagnosis
• The 5-year relative survival rate is over 99% for breast cancer diagnosed at a localized stage, when treatment is typically more effective and less extensive, but drops to 87% for regional-stage and 32% for distant-stage disease

During the last five years, Team AIP has raised more than $25,000 through breast cancer fundraising efforts to support the Men Wear Pink of Oakland County, which consists of local businesspeople hosting fundraisers and sharing information about the impact breast cancer has made on our society. Markwood teamed up with Brian Kurtz, President of AIP Financial Services, to host multiple fundraisers including golf outings and brewery events.

This year’s focus involves supporting the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk efforts of Lisa Timm, an 8-year breast cancer survivor, who has spent many years supporting the American Cancer Society’s events. Lisa was chosen as a speaker at a recent MSABC walk where she shared her journey.

“It’s an interesting story as Lisa’s daughter and my son used to be very good friends back in elementary school. My wife, Suzanne, stayed in contact with her during the years and we ran into each other at a MSABC walk a few years ago,” Markwood said. “After learning about her story, I was inspired to help her this year as a way of giving back to the American Cancer Society.”

For local residents, Markwood also will host the 5th Annual “Pink Out the ‘Punk” fundraiser on Sunday, October 20th from noon to 5:00 p.m. at Steampunk Tap Room in downtown Utica, Michigan. This event consists of 50/50 drawings, prize drawings, limited tapped craft beers, and an energized atmosphere consisting of supporters and breast cancer survivors. He is looking for prize donations for the outing and can be reached at darronm@aipma.com for more information on the event.

“This year, I couldn’t commit my schedule to the Men Wear Pink of Oakland County due to personal reasons, but I still wanted to do this fundraising event – and helping Lisa is such a bonus,” Markwood said. “This event always has a lot of support and raises a lot of donations for the American Cancer Society. We’ve even had the Mayor of Utica stop in as he understand how important this cause is.”

This year’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer for Macomb and Oakland Counties occurs Saturday, October 26 starting at 10:00 a.m. (check-in at 9:00 a.m.) at Rochester Municipal Park located at 400 6th St., Rochester, MI, 48307.

For those interested in supporting the fight against breast cancer, AIPMA has included some links below including the Facebook link to Lisa’s MSABC fundraiser. Any donations would be greatly appreciated.

• Donate to Lisa’s MSABC fundraiser on Facebook
• American Cancer Society donation page

The American Cancer Society Reach To Recovery® program connects people facing breast cancer – from diagnosis through survivorship - with trained volunteers who are breast cancer survivors. Their volunteers provide one-on-one support to help those facing breast cancer cope with diagnosis, treatment, side effects, talking with friends and family, and more. Volunteers do not provide medical advice. Reach To Recovery is a free program. You also can visit the American Cancer Society’s website at cancer.org for more breast cancer support and resources.

Let’s work together to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer!

For more than 40 years, AIP Marketing Alliance (AIPMA), an Integrity Company, serves as a premier life insurance and annuity distribution partner to provide full-service support to independent wholesalers, brokerages and agents from our Troy, Michigan office. NOT AFFILIATED WITH OR ENDORSED BY THE GOVERNMENT OR THE MEDICARE PROGRAM.

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