CN&R Women’s Issue

For this year’s Women’s Issue, the Chico News & Review has decided to shine the light on a topic that’s important to all women, as well as to everyone in their lives: breast cancer. It so happens that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but we believe this is an issue that needs to be talked about year-round. As we put together the stories for this issue, we thought of women we knew who had died from or survived the disease and how, when breast cancer touched the life of someone we knew, it pushed us to be more vigilant about our own self-care. Hearing the stories of survivors encourages us to put a face on breast cancer and increases the chances that even more medical strides will be made toward the ultimate goal of a 100-percent recovery rate.

Teacher-artist, Reta Rickmers, reprioritizes after surviving breast cancer.

Cindy Ratekin talks about life following a nearly fatal illness.

A roundup of support and services for breast cancer patients and survivors.

A list of facts and figures about the disease.