Zumba!

Posted on by Megan Dombroski
Photos by Megan Dombroski

One recent Sunday afternoon, dance music pulsed from Pritchard Park in downtown Asheville. The event: Zumba in the Park, a two-hour, jump-on-in event staged by The Asheville Breast Center and aimed at raising awareness about early detection and the link between staying active and preventing the disease.

Many participants wore pink — the acknowledged breast-cancer-awareness color — and jumped in whenever they felt the urge to dance. To keep the pace going, fresh Zumba instructors rotated in every 15 minutes. Turnout was good, say Asheville Breast Center representatives, so stay tuned for a repeat.

Here are a few stats on disease, provided by the American Cancer Society:

• About 226,870 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women this year.

• About 63,300 new cases of carcinoma in situ will be diagnosed (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer).

• About 39,510 women will die from breast cancer in 2012.

• The disease is the second leading cause of cancer death in women.

• There are more than 2.6 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

— Freelance writer Megan Dombroski lives in Asheville.

Send your health-and-wellness news and tips to Caitlin Byrd at cbyrd@mountainx.com or mxhealth@mountainx.com, or call 251-1333, ext. 140.

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