Breast Cancer Awareness Month is to raise awareness about breast cancer so that people are more aware of the illness. This month is about making sure that everyone is aware of breast cancer and to support the men and women who have it. 

One of the most highly recognised symbols in the world is the pink ribbon, which symbolises breast cancer. In 1992, Charlotte Haley—a breast cancer survivor—introduced a peach coloured ribbon and attached the symbol to cards that stated that the National Cancer Institute only donated 5% of the money to cancer prevention when their annual budget was 1.8 billion USD.Thousands of these cards had been distributed and gained the attention of Axendra Penney, who was the editor in chief of Self Magazine and had been working on a breast cancer issue for the magazine. However, Haley had refused the offer of working with Penney as she thought the magazine was too commercial. The magazine weren’t allowed to use Haley’s peach ribbon, so they decided to make the ribbon pink to represent breast cancer. 

We raise awareness for breast cancer as it’s the most common type of Cancer in the United States according to the NCI (National Cancer Institute). 1 in 8 women are affected by breast cancer in the United States. The US’s population is currently at 331.9 million people, and 12.9% of women in the US develop breast cancer sometime in their life, meaning that approximately 63,000 women are affected by the illness. According to the American Cancer Society, less than 1% of men will have breast cancer. Even though breast cancer affects more women than men, it is important to remember that there are lots of men who do have breast cancer. 

This month is celebrated internationally, as its goal is to make everyone aware of the illness and how it impacts one’s life, as well as helping those in need by donating. The whole month of October is dedicated to raise awareness and hopefully help those who have breast cancer, as well as honouring those who have survived and commemorating those who we’ve lost. The third week of October is specifically dedicated to raise awareness about male breast cancer. October was nationally recognised in 1985

People are recommended to wear the ribbon throughout the month to spread awareness. There are also many charities that exist where you can donate money for research and treatment. There are different ways that people celebrate this month, there are people who organise walks/runs for charity and landmarks may illuminate the pink ribbon. Many schools participate in raising awareness by dedicating a day to wearing pink coloured clothing or items. 

If you’d like to learn more about breast cancer, the link below will provide you with information:

​​https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/about-breast-cancer/