~MAY Awareness~

~Each month various organizations and foundations join together to campaign for a variety of AWARENESS Projects.  The month of May has begun, and here is a list of campaigns which are currently under way:

May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month
(taken from the blog)

May starts National Skin Cancer/Melanoma Awareness Month campaign. Skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, with over one million people diagnosed each year!

Fast Facts About Skin Cancer

• Skin cancer and melanoma account for about 50% of all types of cancers diagnosed combined.
• Skin cancer is one of the more preventable types of cancer.
• More than 90% of skin cancer is causes by excessive exposure to the sun.
• Each hour, 1 person dies from skin cancer.

For more information about Skin Cancer, please visit this link:   
http://cancer.about.com/od/skincancermelanoma/a/skincanceraware.htm 

May is ASTHMA AWARENESS MONTH
(taken from the site)

Asthma is a serious, life-threatening respiratory disease that affects over 20 million Americans. Rates of asthma have risen sharply over the past thirty years, particularly among children ages 5 to 14 (read more Facts about Asthma)

In response to the growing asthma problem, EPA created a national, multifaceted asthma education and outreach program to share information about environmental factors — found indoors and outdoors — that trigger asthma. Although there is no cure, asthma can be controlled through medical treatment and management of environmental asthma triggers.

EPA's goal is to reduce exposure to indoor asthma triggers and improve the quality of life for 6.5 million people by 2012. 

For more information about asthma, please visit this link:   http://www.ginasthma.com/

May is MS AWARENESS MONTH 
(from the site)

The MS Society of Canada marks the month of May as MS Awareness Month. Across the country, our collective aim is to increase awareness about multiple sclerosis; inform the public about the MS Society’s services and mission; and to engage new and existing supporters in our efforts to end MS.

Read all 31 facts about multiple sclerosis and the MS Society for MS Awareness Month.

May is SPEECH & HEARING AWARENESS MONTH
(from the site)

May is Speech and Hearing Awareness Month, the one month in the year when thousands of professionals involved with the treatment of speech, language and hearing disorders come together to participate in a public awareness campaign that encourages early detection and prevention of communication disorders, and seeks to increase the public's sensitivity to the challenges faced by individuals experiencing them.

CASLPA Swallowing Awareness Day ~ May 9, 2011

Untreated feeding and swallowing disorders, also known as dysphagia, can cause serious health issues, child and family stress, social difficulties, and even life-threatening situations.
As part of a Swallowing Awareness Day initiative, CASLPA has developed a series of resources, available in both official languages, on youth/adult
and infant/child swallowing. Each package of materials includes a swallowing fact sheet, a swallowing issue checklist and an informational article.

As the days progress, I will come back and share more of May's AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS.  I'll be keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers, and send out strength & comfort to all xxoo