October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Get Your PINK Out!

 

October 19, 2022

Blaine County students did their part to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month this past week. The Chinook Sugarbeeter Volleyball team held their 'Pack the Place Pink Night' this past Thursday during their final home match of the season. The Harlem Lady Cats held a Pink & Royal Blue Day on Saturday in their home finale with Wolf Point in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month as well as Colon Cancer. The Lady Cats had a 'Free Will' donation jar at the entrance with monies going to the Day Eagle Hope Project to assist families dealing with Cancer. Road trips for both schools the earlier in the month also encouraged fans to wear pink.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month has become very successful international health campaign that was first organized to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure. Observances of the event have faced criticism for corporate involvement by drug companies, as well as instances of pink washing associated with the events. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month first took place in October 1985 as a partnership between the American Cancer Society and what is now AstraZeneca, a producer of several anti-breast cancer drugs). Its mission from the start has been to promote mammography as the most effective weapon in the fight against breast cancer.

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation was created in 1993 by Evelyn Lauder, Senior Corporate Vice President of the Estée Lauder Companies, and established the pink ribbon as its symbol. This was not the first time a ribbon was used to symbolize breast cancer, however. Previously a 68-year-old California woman by the name of Charlotte Haley, distributed peach-color ribbons to call attention to what she saw as inadequate funding for research. The Susan G. Komen Foundation had also handed out pink ribbons to participants in its New York City race for breast cancer survivors as early as 1991.

Blaine County Nurse, Valerie Beck stated, "Breast cancer awareness month is a great month to get education out to the public about breast cancer and the importance of doing self-checks and when and how often to get mammograms. Knowing one's own family history is also important to know if you have a greater risk of having breast cancer." The County Nurse office is on hand to provide any help necessary and echoes the sentiments of many, "Early detection is important when it comes to breast cancer because that's when it is most treatable. For Breast Cancer awareness the health department has a breast and cervical program to help when people do not have insurance to help with mammograms or other tests if a mammogram comes back abnormal. Deb (Anderson) runs that program.

Breast Cancer affects so many people each year and it isn't just centralized to woman. In 2022 an estimated 281,000 women will be diagnosed with Breast Cancer. In addition, roughly 2,500 men will be diagnosed as well. Of those numbers 42,000 women and 500 men will lose their life to the disease each year. Outside of skin cancer Breast Cancer is the most common Cancer to affect women, accounting for more than 30% of all cancer diagnosis'.

The Blaine County Health Department is proactive in bringing services to the community, "Deb also sets up the Mammogram Truck to come to Blaine County and hands out educational information and breast cancer awareness goodies. The Blaine County Health Department also puts out Infograph's on our Facebook page," said Beck. "Anyone that was wanting to know more information about the MammoVans or the Breast and Cervical program can call the office to inquire more information." As far as seeing the local schools get involved in raising awareness beck concluded by saying, "I think kids getting involved and becoming more aware about health can teach them valuable lessons and kids can make a huge impact."

 
 

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