Black women who feel that they have been racially discriminated against are more likely than other black women to develop breast cancer, according to a study out of Howard University led by Dr. Teletia Taylor. The study was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Taylor and colleagues tracked 59,000 black women over a period of six years. They found that participants who said they routinely experienced discrimination, whether "everyday" or "major", had a higher risk of developing breast cancer than those black women who did not experience such discrimination. This link was stronger among women under the age of 50.

According to the researchers, more work is needed to further understand the relationship between racism and breast cancer.

I guess I've just assumed that breast cancer organizations happily accept every donation they receive and joyfully funnel all charitable gifts into their noble endeavors. I mean, without money and research and programs and services and education, where would we be? We'd be uninformed and lagging behind the force of this disease instead of gaining momentum on its trail. That's where we'd be.

Now, I've never assumed these organizations accept money obtained through illegal measures. But I've also never assumed they'd turn away money just because it came from a group of women whose profession and means of fundraising might be considered unacceptable. I suppose I shouldn't make assumptions. Because I seem to be wrong on all accounts.

The Breast Cancer Society of Canada has officially rejected a donation from a group of Vancouver strippers because of the controversial nature of their fundraisers. Exotic Dancers For Cancer these women call themselves, and for four years they have been raising money in honor of another dancer who lost her battle with terminal cancer.

Trina Ricketts, founder of the exotic dancer website nakedtruth.ca and recipient of the letter rejecting the donation, is shocked that people consider this contribution dirty money. And she is so bothered by this unfair judgment that she has been contacting the media and outting the Breast Cancer Society of Canada's discrimination practices. Her protests are working.

In a supportive turn of events, Ricketts has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response -- and she now has several organizations willing to accept all donations she wishes to offer.

This story is not nearly as simple as presented here. It's so much more detailed and touching and moving when told by Ricketts herself -- who happens to share her inspiring journey right here.

CORRECTION: Trina Ricketts reports that she did not seek out the media to out the Breast Cancer Society of Canada.

"The decision to go public was not in the interests of outing the Breast Cancer Society of Canada, but rather to seek out charities that would be willing to accept our donations," she said.

Journalist, teacher, mother and eight-year breast cancer survivor Jeanne Sather is a self-described outspoken advocate for the cancer patient's point of view.

A vegetarian since the age of 16 and fairly active, she does not have any of the known risk factors for breast cancer. After an all-clear mammogram at the age of 40, she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 43. In an ironic twist of employment fate, the very job she was hired to do in chronicling her life online as a breast cancer patient, may have led to her firing because of the flexible work schedule breast cancer treatment required.

With a sharp clarity and well-earned perspective, Sather is The Assertive Cancer Patient. To our good fortune here at The Cancer Blog, she has agreed to take part in our Survivor Spotlight series featuring interviews with breast cancer survivors.

Work gives us a sense of purpose; a way to provide for ourselves; and social contact -- all important to health and wellbeing. For those facing the struggles to survive cancer, work can represent a normalcy needed in a time where not much else seems very normal. The activity of work can reflect a hope that even though cancer has temporarily disrupted daily life, one day it will get better -- we are going to get better. Not losing your job when you must go through cancer treatment is a way of having your place in society saved. A message, we will all be here when you get back -- your work life will be here when you can come back.

BBC News investigated how some cancer patients are being mistreated in the workplace and it is appalling. One woman wanted to return to work after treatment for breast cancer and her managers asked her to resign for her own good. They were merely looking out for her, they said. Another woman was told she had become a bad investment.

You can read more at BBC News Cancer patients misery at work. If you are thinking, there ought to be a law -- there is a law to protect workers dealing with serious illnesses against job discrimination. Doesn't appear to stop some companies from acting like insensitive dolts, but there is a law.

Jo-Ann Campbell is suing her former employer, IntelliSoft Group of Nashua, a software company, because she says after her diagnosis of breast cancer they made the work environment uncomfortable -- and then they fired her.

According to the lawsuit, Campbell said Mary D'Amelio, the wife of the company's chief executive officer, John D'Amelio, told her she shouldn't be considered full time and should be reduced to part time, and Mary D'Amelio went on to tell her she was costing the company $10,000 dollars.

During breast cancer surgery and radiation treatment, Campbell said she was keeping up with the workload. Eventually, she was terminated. Campbell was a senior trainer who earned $55,000 a year. IntelliSoft denies she was discriminated against in any way and states they fully expect to win the lawsuit. You can read more details of the story here.

Some employers are understanding while others are not so accommodating when it comes to an employee's need for a more flexible schedule or time off from work while they undergo the rigors of chemotherapy, surgeries and other cancer treatments. According to the Disability Rights Legal Center at Loyola Law School, cancer can be considered a disability, and cancer patients treated unfairly have remedies through laws that protect the disabled.

"In fact, people with cancer face a lot of employment discrimination," states Eve Hill of the Disability Rights Legal Center. Barbara Schwerin, who heads the Cancer Legal Resource Center, estimates they get about 300 calls from cancer patients each month. Because of the extreme fatigue, and other disabling side effects a cancer patient can suffer from cancer surgeries and treatments, patients often worry if they will lose their job in the process. Schwerin reassures them that they often have legal rights that will protect them from less understanding employers. Really, the last thing a cancer patient needs to worry about -- while they are fighting to stay alive and survive cancer -- is whether they will have a job or a roof over their heads and food in the pantry.

Do you need to tell a prospective employer you had cancer? Simply put, if it does not affect your job performance, you are not required to tell a prospective employer about your cancer when applying for employment. At Livestrong's SurvivorCare, some common reasons cancer survivors experience employment discrimination include:

• Employers sometimes have incorrect assumptions about what cancer survivors can or cannot do.
• Survivors sometimes need to leave town for treatment.
• Employers are often uncertain about the time requirements needed for cancer treatment or follow-up appointments.
• Employers sometimes fear their insurance costs will go up.
• Survivors may need to change how they perform their job.
• Employers sometimes incorrectly view cancer as a death sentence and are worried that survivors may not be able to perform their job duties.

Two federal laws, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act, protect cancer survivors from employment discrimination. Livestrong's SurvivorCare offers an excellent overview of the issues of employment for cancer survivors. For detailed information and technical assistance about the Americans with Disabilities Act, please visit the ADA website. Cancer survivors have enough concerns without the additional worry they will be discriminated against, or prevented from, earning a living because of cancer.