In Sandra's Shoes

I have to admit I read almost everything I see about foods that we eat that could lead to breast cancer or those that can help prevent breast cancer. But it's hard to sort through.

And I have friends who send me articles about foods as well.

The most recent articles say "Grapefruit may boost breast cancer" and "Grape juice combats breast cancer."

So do I stop eating grapefruit and start drinking more grape juice? How much grape juice should I drink every day?

I have attended seminars on healthy eating and I've found those to more helpful in making decisions about what to eat. And I ask my doctors.

I'm starting to feel more comfortable about what I eat now, just eight months after having my lumpectomy. But it is a lifestyle change.

Now if I could just get a straight story about drinking coffee...

She didn't have to die at such a young age.

Over and over, we hear that early detection is the key to prolonging lives of women diagnosed with breast cancer.

But that doesn't work if the woman doesn't follow up with her doctors after the diagnosis.

That's what happened to my former shampoo girl. She was still in her teens when I met her. Her daughter just a year older than mine. She used to tell me about her dreams for her daughter and her plans to get married and move away from the city.

She did it. But last year when the diagnosis was made (she was in her early 40s), she didn't follow through. She ignored the tumor that was discovered. And because she had an agressive form of the disease, she died last month. Way too young. She waited too long to get treatment.

If only she had followed through, she might still be here. So again I say, it may be scary to hear the words that you or a loved one have breast cancer. But you must follow up. Early detection is great but only if there is follow up.

Make sure your loved one or friend is following up.

I stopped for a few minutes this morning to listen to Robin Roberts tell her Good Morning America audience about the next phase in her fight against breast cancer.

She starts chemo tomorrow and plans to come to work as often as possible. When her chemo ends, she will begin radiation treatment.

Yes, it will be hard for the next few months but she feels it's a blessing to be able to work while she's in treatment. She said she wanted to tell everyone so if they tune in and see a woman looking like Kojak (a bald police officer from a popular TV series in the 1970s), she wanted them to know what was going on.

I'm glad to know she's fighting and pushing forward. It's going to take a lot of energy and support but I know she's got that. I'm pulling for my fellow breast cancer survivor as well.

Who gets breast cancer and who survives?

The headline in the October issue of Redbook caught my eye. And some of the facts are surprising. Being overweight by _ even 20 pounds_ can increase your odds of breast cancer.

Breast cancer strikes more older women but it's deadlier in younger women.

And minority women are up to 70 percent more likely to die of breast cancer. The most incurable tumor type affects more African American and Hispanic women than Caucasian women and more premenopausal African American women are likely to have the the triple-negative tumor.

It's great what the research is showing us about who gets affected but I want to see something that says the research has led to saving more lives.

Need more information? Look for just about any women's magazine for October. They all have special reports on breast cancer. It's breast cancer awareness month.