Breast Cancer Awareness Month Is Here Again!

   Gear up to show off ladies! Breast Cancer Awareness Month has arrived for another year, so wear some pink and support the cause.

   National Breast Cancer Awareness Association celebrates 25 years of awareness, education and empowerment this month. LBCC is showing support with the second annual "Wear Pink Day". The event will take place on Thursday, October 6th. There are no major happinings, other than a photo opportunity, planned for the day. All the students need to do to show their support, is show up wearing pink.

   Patti Ball, LBCC Production Coordinator, said she knew of a few people that had walked for the cure in Portland last year and it gave her an idea. Ball knows of several survivors that attend the college and felt wearing pink would be a nice thing to do to support awareness for the cause. 

   Many of us either know someone going through this or are dealing with it ourselves. According to the National Cancer Institute website, www.cancer.gov, in 2011 there were 230, 480 women and 2,140 men diagnosed with breast cancer and sadly 39,990 didn’t get checked in time and lost the battle.

   That is why this month is so important, education and prevention are what breast cancer awareness month is all about. Early detection can be the difference between life and death. Wearing pink is how LBCC will show support for the ones lost, the ones fighting and the ones who survived.

   Though Ball is not a survivor herself, she feels the cause is an important one to recognize. There are no words available to describe the emotions and fears that sweep over you when the doctor comes back with that awful news. Dee LoRocca is a retired nurse that worked with several breast cancer patients and is a lung cancer survivor herself. “First you go through denial, and then you just worry. I was a single mom, so my biggest fear was what would happen to my 13 year old son” said LaRocca.

   She stayed so positive through the whole mess and said that she really leaned on her faith for support. LaRocca tells us that she saw several women that didn’t have the support they needed and it was heart-breaking.

   One friend of LaRocca’s had her husband leave her after she had to have a breast removed, saying she wasn’t a whole woman any more.  These are the women we need to get behind the most, the ones that do not have family or friends to lean on.

   LaRocca feels that education and prevention are the best arsenal against the disease. The National Cancer Institute agrees. “Prevention-regular exercise and a healthy diet.” Instead of a New Year’s resolution to get healthy, make an October resolution to diet and exercise, and maybe even wear more pink, like this Thursday at LBCC!

   Pink is the national color that is synonymous with women. Since a vast majority of women are the ones that have to deal with breast cancer, pink was the chosen color to wear in honor of the fight.  Wearing pink is a lovely way to show your support. Just remember that breast cancer awareness month is a lot more than just wearing a color, it is a recognition that we will fight cancer and a hope that we will win.

At A Glance:
Wear Pink Day in support of breast cancer awareness month Thursday, October 6th
Prevention through proper diet, exercise and early detection are key factors in survival
Women, and men, really need support after detection and especially through the battle
Go to http://www.cancer.gov/ or LBCC  for more information on how to get involved
Ladies and Gentlemen, remember that the best fight against any illness, including breast cancer, is to eat a healthy, well balanced diet.