Abigail Dunagan, Campus Carrier features editor
Cammie Wilks, Campus Carrier asst. features editor
While many look forward to the month of October for spooky celebrations and pumpkin spice lattes, it is also known as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM). Originally founded in 1985, the weeks during October are used by different health organizations as a time to organize charities and promote awareness for breast cancer.
This month is easily recognizable by a pink ribbon which is used to represent awareness for the disease. NBCAM was first created in 1985 by the American Cancer Society in partnership with the British company Imperial Chemical Industries Pharmaceuticals. It was intended to be a week-long awareness campaign, but it evolved into a month-long event. Health organizations currently use the month to support those who have been diagnosed with the disease, fund research and encourage women to get annual screenings. Many organizations work annually to host different campaigning and awareness events throughout the month.
Although the pink ribbon is widely recognized for Breast Cancer Awareness, this symbol was not created until the early 1990s. Charlotte Haley, a woman who had family members affected by the disease, created a number of peach-colored ribbons to hand out with a caption: “The National Cancer Institute annual budget is $1.8 billion, only 5 percent goes for cancer prevention. Help us wake up our legislators and America by wearing this ribbon.” Haley’s message spread, and she was approached by corporations requesting to use the peach ribbon in their publications. Haley declined, but the lawyer for “Self” magazine determined that the ribbon symbol could be used if they changed the color. In 1992, “Self” Magazine partnered with Estee Lauder Cosmetics to use the pink ribbon in a campaign on Breast Cancer Awareness. Since then, the ribbon has been used as a universal symbol to spread awareness of the disease.
This month, the Berry Health Center is teaming up with the organization Exercise is Medicine (EIM) to plan events that spread awareness for breast cancer. EIM is a global health organization that is managed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). On October 10 and 17, the Health Center will hand out educational pamphlets to students in Krannert Center. The modules will spread awareness and discuss how to perform a self-breast exam, when to go see a doctor about it and other important information.
The main event planned for spreading awareness is a Breast Cancer Walk, which will take place outside Krannert on October 24 at 11 a.m. The walk will be showing support for survivors or those currently fighting the illness. There will also be free wristbands, a raffle and more educational sources. Students will also be able to sign a poster to dedicate their walk to someone in their life who’s battled with the illness.
Junior and assistant student director of the Health Center Marin McCulla is excited to participate in the Awareness Walk. Her favorite part about it is that a person can march and dedicate their walk to someone else, whether it be a friend or family member that has been personally affected by breast cancer.
“I have family members that have been diagnosed with breast cancer,” McCulla said. “So being able to put on this event allows other people to recognize what their own family members have been through and show support for them. I think that’s really nice.”
One of the other organizers for this event is senior Jamie Jang, who is the student director of the Berry Health Center. In the past, the Health Center has recognized NBCAM in October only by posting on Instagram. Jang said this is the first time the Health Center has planned a walk for breast cancer. The addition of these new events is exciting because it creates the opportunity to reach a bigger group of people and spread more information.
“Instilling healthy habits in college students and showing support is important because breast cancer is so common in women,” Jang said. “We never know what other Berry students are also going through. We want to give them our support for survivors and also affected family and such.”
According to Jang, it can be challenging to advocate for Breast Cancer Awareness on a college campus because many students don’t feel that it could affect them. Although the disease most commonly affects women who are 50 or older, it can still occur in younger women and males.
“I think it’s important that as a campus, we recognize how breast cancer can affect everybody,” McCulla said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), breast cancer is the second most common cancer found in women, with the most common being skin cancer. Each year, roughly 270,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States, and 42,000 pass away from the disease. Although uncommon, men can also get breast cancer. 1 out of 100 breast cancer diagnoses are found in men.
“It’s not just something that is limited to those who are diagnosed,” Jang said. “It is a community issue, and it is something that we all need to come together to show support for, so that people know that they are not alone.”
The Berry Health Center and EIM are expecting a moderate turnout for the events but are hoping to inform others so more people will come. For more information about NBCAM and how Berry is spreading awareness, visit @berryhealthcenter on Instagram.