October is the month to think pink, for breast cancer of course. Usbreastcancer.org says that one in eight women in the U.S. will suffer from invasive breast cancer in her lifetime, making it something most people are affected by in their daily lives. According to the Susan G. Komen website, there are 125,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer and about 23,000 women survive.
Stephanie Beauchamp, a junior studying genetics, has been running a 5k to support breast cancer awareness, since she was 7. Her grandma is a 13-year survivor of breast cancer.
“I do the race because it is for a good cause and because my grandmother is a breast cancer survivor and each year we celebrate her triumph by partaking in the race. My grandma is a 13-year survivor and on her 10-year we went to Dallas, Texas to run their five-mile race,” said Stephanie.
She feels that it’s important to celebrate breast cancer survivors and lend them their support.
“I do this because I feel like it’s another way to show my grandmother that I love her and I feel like being there lets all the other families know that I am there for the same reason to help raise money to find a cure for breast cancer and to celebrate those that have survived or remember those that died,” Stephanie said.
Bringing awareness to breast cancer is important because more likely than not, you or someone you know will someday be affected by it. The month of October is dedicated to bringing awareness to this important issue. Whether its running races to support survivors or donating to the cause, just know every little bit helps.
“My family and I do the race because it reminds us that no matter how rough things are we can always lean on each other,” Stephanie says.