Breast Cancer Awareness Month is more than wearing the color pink, whether it be a pink bow, pink shirt, pink socks, you need to understand what you are supporting. Breast Cancer is a significant health concern for women worldwide. “1 in 8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.” “Cancer is a broad term for a class of diseases characterized by abnormal cells that grow and invade healthy cells in the body.” Breast Cancer starts as a malignant, which means cancerous, cell that can then invade surrounding tissues or spread to other areas of the body.
This month is an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness of this disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure. There are multiple different kinds of breast cancer. The kind of breast cancer depends on which cells in the breast turn into cancer, instead of staying benign they become malignant. With this, schools and communities come together in this to raise awareness and money to go towards cancer research. Our school in particular hosts a volleyball pink out game. All ticket sales to get into the game, raffle tickets, concession sales, all go towards a breast cancer non-profit organization. All while having fun, wearing pink, and playing some volleyball! We played against Lexington for our pink out game and ended up taking the win in two sets! It was a great game to see with the scores being 25-17 and 25-12. Dee-Mack took the win all while raising awareness and having a great time! Every year it is so much fun and the amount of people who come out to support is a testament to our community’s generosity!
Beyond awareness, prevention plays a vital role in reducing the risk of breast cancer. While not all risk factors can be controlled, adopting a healthy lifestyle can make a big difference. This includes maintaining a balanced diet, engaging in regular physical activity, limiting alcohol consumption, and avoiding smoking. For individuals at high risk, genetic counseling and testing may be recommended to assess their susceptibility and explore preventative measures such as prophylactic mastectomy or chemoprevention. Beyond genetics and lifestyle, environmental factors are increasingly considered in breast cancer risk. Studies suggest that exposure to certain chemicals and pollutants may play a role in the development of the disease. Research is ongoing to understand these connections better and to identify specific environmental risks. This awareness highlights the importance of reducing exposure to potentially harmful substances in our daily lives.
