It’s October, which means the leaves are changing, midterms season is upon us, and we’re getting more anxious for the upcoming BC football games. However, October also means something more important than all of those combined: October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. As a college student, I often feel a bit distant from the results of Breast Cancer awareness. What does spreading awareness mean anyway? Snapping on a pink ribbon pin or wearing my favorite pink shirt to class doesn’t seem to do it for me. Realistically, people aren’t going to ask me why I’m wearing pink. Am I really making a difference by wearing this pink shirt and not talking to anyone about why I’m wearing pink? Having been very close to a victim and survivor of breast cancer, and my mother being a long-term employee of the health care industry, I feel like more needs to be done than the conventional ways of spreading awareness. According to the CDC, breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer among women and the fifth leading cause of death. If those aren’t good enough reasons, I’d like to hear better ones. Getting a mammogram is an excellent precautionary practice, but they are usually geared toward women over 50 years of age. Not only do I feel distant from the results of breast cancer awareness month, I feel distant and uninformed about protecting others and myself from this fatal disease.
So, the question remains: what can we do as college-aged women to really spread awareness, and most importantly, protect our health? In this day and age, everyone knows what breast cancer is. Explaining a disease and wearing powder pink is not what October is dedicated to, though. We should be spreading the inspirational stories of survivors, talking about the growing epidemic of cancer, and brainstorming ways to fight it. There are a countless number of resources to turn to and ways to be more involved.
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The Susan G. Komen for the Cure pink campaign is probably the most well-known and recognized Breast Cancer awareness campaign nationwide. On their website you can donate to cancer research, purchase merchandise (in which proceeds go to cancer research…which is better than wearing your favorite pink shirt from the 10th grade), and learn more about events, research, and information to protect your health. You can also read an inspiring blog and find all kinds of support on their message boards with threads geared toward survivors, patients, and family members of loved ones battling cancer.
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Websites such as http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-awareness-month have informative resources for awareness, early detection, and fundraisers.
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Pink for October is a website that encourages bloggers to turn their blog pink, educate themselves, and in turn, educate someone else about breast cancer. It is not profit-based, rather awareness-based.
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The American Cancer Society sponsors walks for Breast Cancer in which participants raise money for research and unite with their communities in true awareness and intentions to fight the disease. There are many in the Boston area in October and of course there is Relay For Life at Boston College in the spring!
There is a lot more that the average college-aged woman can do to fight breast cancer than I thought there was. Next time you wear pink you should start a conversation. Spreading awareness is more than just wearing a pink… it’s taking the initiative to end something harmful and help others. October is breast cancer awareness month. This means getting screened (at anytime throughout the year) if you are at all concerned, helping your friends stay on top of research and information concerning breast cancer, and getting involved in the fight against cancer.
Photo Sources:
http://swankwebstyle.com/blog/2008/10/02/pink-for-october/
http://savethetatas.com/