If you've been diagnosed with breast cancer or have a friend or relative who's fighting this disease, you know how important support can be during this challenging time. Care and concern can take many forms in helping someone with breast cancer, which is estimated to affect one in eight American women.

To provide the most meaningful assistance, ask them what would be most helpful to them, says Sandi Kafenbaum, counseling coordinator for a statewide breast cancer hot line and support program based in Adelphi, N.Y. Some women may want a friend to accompany them to chemotherapy or doctor visits. Others might prefer to be treated to lunch, a movie or a massage. Even co-workers can help by pooling and contributing their sick days, she says.

Massage during the course of breast cancer treatment can promote relaxation and provide the benefit of a comforting touch. If you're undergoing treatment, be sure to talk to your doctor about massage before scheduling your next appointment at Massage Envy.

Massage Envy's "Massage for the Cure" allows any client to have the entire cost of a one-hour massage donated to breast cancer education and research. Visit MassageEnvy.com and look for the pink ribbon, for information on Massage for the Cure, which has already raised more than $400,000 for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.