Many businesses and individuals will be sporting the color pink this month. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and pink is the color used to designate breast cancer.
On high school and college campuses across the country, teams are playing Dig Pink and Dig for a Cure volleyball games and other pink-themed games.
In Virginia, Lynchburg College athletes competed in two special games earlier this week on campus to raise money for breast cancer research. The women’s field hockey and men’s soccer teams both competed in Play 4 The Cure games on Oct. 3.
Players from numerous sports teams are wearing pink jerseys on the field to show their support for those fighting the fight of their lives against breast cancer off the field.
Susan G. Komen for the Cure 5K races are being held across the nation including a race at Virginia Beach on Oct. 13.
Even professional athletes are joining in spreading awareness, including the Dallas Cowboys whose halftime show on Monday this week included 250 cancer survivors and co-survivors along with 250 Dallas Cowboys cheerleader alumnae who formed human breast cancer awareness ribbons on the field.
In large and small retailers including Target, Amazon, and Bed, Bath & Beyond, there are pink toasters, mixers, coffee makers, measuring cups and more for sale with a portion of the proceeds from the sales going to fund breast cancer research.
The pink wave has spread to social media for October too. Facebook has many pink groups including the Pink Ribbon Army, which has over 153,000 likes.
There are many myths about breast cancer including that only women get breast cancer, that all lumps found in the breast are cancerous and that breast cancer is contagious.
Each year, an average of 2,190 men are diagnosed with breast cancer and 410 men die from breast cancer. 100 times as many women are diagnosed and die each year from the disease.
Both men and women should perform regular breast self-examinations. Women should also have their first mammogram by age 50. Those with a close relative who had breast cancer should begin mammograms 10 years younger than the relative’s age at diagnosis.
Most lumps found in the breast are not cancerous; however, you should always see your health care professional for further testing if a lump is found.
You can’t catch breast cancer nor can you spread it to someone else through contact. Breast cancer, like other cancers, is the result of uncontrolled growth of mutated cells.
What can you do in your life to help raise breast cancer awareness during October? You can make a one time ore recurring donation, join or start a fundraiser, hold a bake sale, attend a benefit concert, or volunteer at an event.
You can also wear pink to work, use a breast cancer ribbon as your Facebook profile picture, or spread the word to others in some other way.
You can support businesses like Mimi’s Cafe that are helping to raise money for research with special promotions this month.
Mimi’s is giving a free cup of soup to all who make a donation on Oct. 19. They have also created special pink drinks with proceeds going to breast cancer and offer an online giving tree at their website.
Think pink in October to help raise awareness of the disease that claims nearly 40,000 lives each year, taking women and men away from those they love. Do it for those you love.
