With all that goes on during October, breast cancer awareness is just one of the many positive things that exists as a part of the month. From the painted ‘Georgia Dawgs’ students who supported breast cancer awareness at the Homecoming football game on October 15th, to organizations on campus dedicated to fighting cancer like Relay for Life, not only have UGA students and the Athens community taken on the spirit of awareness, but so have so many others throughout the U.S. on both the local and national level. For many years now, valuing awareness has become an integral aspect of the fight against cancer.
So what is it that makes awareness about breast cancer and other cancers important? It evidently comes down to one thing… Awareness makes it that much easier to start to advance on the path of ending cancer for good. Additionally, it often helps diminish the probability of cancer from ever developing by increasing knowledge about breast cancer, allowing people to understand what to look for early (in regards to preventative measures), and adding to cancer preparedness for the future in more ways than one (helping those both diagnosed with and affected by it).
In this process, how can you help spread awareness or contribute to the fight? There are so many opportunities to become involved and to combat the negative effects that cancer creates. More specifically, many organizations exist that make it easy for people to take on a more active role in eliminating cancer. There are often multiple ways you can support these organizations— it’s all dependent on how involved you would like to be and what your beliefs are regarding cancer and cancer prevention.
To elaborate, one way to become more involved is to support organizations like the non-profit Susan G. Komen. Overall, through direct donation, the purchase of merchandise with many of their partners, or involvement in one of the many events that has been created for the sheer purpose of fighting cancer, the possibilities are endless when it comes to methods of support. In the end, it’s truly up to the individual regarding how they want to contribute to the cause.
Additionally, if you would like to become more involved in fighting cancer and spreading awareness, Relay for Life is a great organization here on campus at UGA to learn more about— it’s most basic, essential goal is to end cancer, while celebrating survivors and supporting all those affected. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in joining, I would highly recommend it. Definitely check out more information regarding the different ways to become involved. With both committees (the application deadline already passed for this school year) and flagship teams (no application required, you can always join), there are multiple ways to contribute and commit to the organization. On another level, you can also just decide to support their events throughout the year, through their many forms of fundraising for the cause, such as with the purchase of t-shirts, by contributing to the percentage nights at local restaurants and retailers, and by getting involved in all that happens during the actual day of Relay in the spring.
On a general level, the significance of this month of awareness is very important; however, at the same time, it’s imperative to remember that just because it’s no longer October doesn’t mean that involvement and staying informed should stop. It’s always a constant fight to end cancer, and the fight will continuously be year-round— every hour of every day, until cancer is finished for good. In the end, it’s always great to go out there and support the fight, especially if it’s a cause you believe in, and to continue to change how the world is affected by cancer little by little, until it becomes a thing of the past.