BLUE for Pink Campaign Makes a Difference for One Ump-Attire.com Staffer.

We are really proud and excited about our BLUE for Pink Campaign, which helps to raise breast cancer awareness in the umpiring community, as well as donations for Susan G. Komen for the Cure through the sale of pink umpire shirts. The feedback we've gotten from the umpiring community has been great: this is a cause that comes close to home for a lot of umpires and their families. But we've never been so glad to be a part of the breast cancer awareness effort as we were earlier this month when one Ump-Attire.com staff member decided to follow through on getting screened for breast cancer.

After detecting a lump and experiencing some soreness, our team member was reluctant and fearful of the mammogram procedure and what it might involve. She'd heard the procedure was painful and scary and, like many women, was afraid of receiving bad news. But she was inspired by our efforts to reach out to the umpire community and encourage women to be screened, and made an appointment for a mammogram. She reported that the procedure was actually not as bad as she'd feared, and was quick and mostly painless. She hoped that by sharing her story, it might help encourage another woman to overcome their fear and make the decision to have this very important cancer screening, because early detection is your best defense against breast cancer.

Mammography is the best screening tool available for detecting breast cancer, and the American Cancer Society recommends a yearly mammogram for women age 40 and over who are at average risk of developing breast cancer. For more information about mammography and other screening recommendations, please visit Susan G. Komen for the Cure's Understanding Breast Cancer section.