In the grand scheme of things, wine and breast cancer couldn't be more unalike. One is something meant to be savored and the other is, well, the "C-word." While they lay on opposite ends of life's spectrum, they've recently been pulled together in the form of a calendar. Developed by a wine club called SWILL (Several Wine Imbibers Liking Libations), this calendar benefits Living Beyond Breast Cancer, a nonprofit organization aimed at helping women affected to live their lives to the fullest.

Unfortunately, breast cancer has touched the lives of many of us. We can swear at it, yell at it, and tell it to go away, but it's a mulish malignancy. Statistically, one in eight women will have it in their lifetime. Though its prevalence is disheartening, the end of the proverbial tunnel, once blocked by rocks and boulders, is no longer dark. The strides made in medicine have given us light and given us hope. Today, the survival rate for breast cancer is more than 90 percent when detected early.

With early detection being key, women must be vigilant of symptoms. These include a lump in the breast (usually painless), bloody or clear nipple discharge, indentation of the nipple, change in breast size, and a change in the skin covering the breast (flattening, indenting, or pitting). Though these symptoms can be discovered by a self-breast exam, clinical exams and mammograms are also essential. This is particularly true for those at risk.

The risk factors for breast cancer are numerous, making its prevalence understandable. Plainly put, most women fall into at least a few risk factor categories. Among these are race (Caucasians are at a higher risk), age (risk increases with years), excessive use of alcohol, smoking, genetic predisposition (between five and ten percent of breast cancer is inherited), radiation exposure, excess weight, early onset of menstruation (particularly before age 12), menopause after age 55, never becoming pregnant or first pregnancy after age 30, taking hormone therapy or birth control pills, and having a family history of breast cancer.

The human race isn't the only thing in danger. Thanks to all of those dedicated to fighting it, breast cancer is at risk itself. The support against it is monumental, the money to research it is enormous, and the fight to stop it is encompassing. In fact, cancer's one decent quality is its keen ability to unite people. No matter the differences between us, all human beings agree on one thing: cancer freaking sucks. Until it is cured, the war wages on.