Every October pink ribbons are found almost everywhere for the entire month, but why?

October is most commonly known as the month of Halloween across the nation, but more importantly, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Most people don’t know exactly why October is dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness.

“National Breast Cancer Awareness Month dates back to October 1985. This is when the first organized movement to bring attention to the dangers of breast cancer occurred in the United States,” Hocking College said. 

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month was originally created to help motivate women across the country to get regular screenings and checks for breast cancer. The goal was to help potential breast cancer patients to catch the disease as early as possible in order to stop more lives from being lost. 

This dedicated month to educating the general public about the severities and importance of breast cancer was in fact a success. In addition, the advancements in medicine and technology helped bring the mortality rate down over the years since the very first month. 

Although, what does the ribbon mean?

Late in 1992, Self Magazine created the concept of the Pink Ribbon to give Breast Cancer Awareness a symbol in addition to an entire month of dedication towards educating others. This concept was later fully realized and developed on Estée Lauder Cosmetics counters across the country when the cosmetics company distributed 1.5 million ribbons. 

“The National Football League has become one of the largest supporters of breast cancer awareness month and nearly all players, coaches, and referees wear the pink ribbon each October to show their support,” Brevard Health Alliance said. 

The support from the NFL and the wide distribution of ribbons created a long-lasting symbol for the growing cause. 

Breast Cancer is an extremely severe disease that one in eight women are predicted to be diagnosed with it in their lifetime. Before the National Breast Cancer Foundation was created, as well as all of the education and information spreading as a result of the national month, breast cancer took 458,000 lives in the United States alone. 

The danger of breast cancer is most certainly real, so what has Wakeland done to help?

In years past Wakeland has dedicated games and Pep Rallys to Breast Cancer Awareness Month and educated the student body. Pink Out shirts are sold and the profits go to an organization focused on breast cancer research while also bringing more attention to the cause.

This year the sales from the Pink Out shirts will go to the Breast Bridge Network of Dallas which provides access to diagnostic and treatment services for breast cancer to those who are low-income, uninsured, and underinsured individuals. 

Wakeland is hosting a Pink Out Pep Rally on October 6, 2022. Students are encouraged to dress out in Pink to show their support and honor those who have or are currently battling breast cancer.  

Don’t be fooled though, a little goes a long way. 

Anyone can make a small donation to organizations that support the spread of education and accessibility for breast cancer awareness like Breast Cancer Research Foundation, National Breast Cancer Foundation, and Living Beyond Breast Cancer. 

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to help this worthy cause whenever you can and donate, or simply learn as much as possible and share the information as much as possible. 

Happy Breast Cancer Awareness Month!