National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an international health campaign to promote awareness about the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of breast cancer. It is commemorated every year in the month of October.
According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, “Nearly 41,000 individuals die each year from breast cancer in the United States.” The statistics for this life changing disease are alarming, yet each year more and more people, both women and men, are fighting, surviving, and beating this disease due in part to the awareness being raised through this campaign.
To continue this momentum, the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians is challenging all its members to post a photo of themselves, team, office staff, or classmates wearing pink in the month of October. Tag the OAFP Facebook or Twitter account using the hashtag #IWearPink and share with us why you wear pink in October. For those who share, we may repost your picture on one of our social media accounts to show other OAFP members.
See why the OAFP staff wears pink…
“#IWearPink to help promote breast cancer awareness and the importance of getting your mammogram,” Emily Pavoni, membership services manager.
“#IWearPink for those who never stop fighting and for those who gave it everything they could,” Morgan Pelt, communications manager.
“#IWearPink to support the fighters, admire the survivors, and honor the taken,” Kaitlin McGuffie, director of events and foundation programs.
“#IWearPink for every fight won, for each battle lost, and for those still fighting,” Katie Siegrist, coordinator of events and foundation programs.
“My mother is a 12-year breast cancer survivor. #IWearPink for her. #IWearPink for me. And, #IWearPink for my daughter, with the hope that someday, cancer will no longer be a worry!” Erin Jech, director of performance improvement
“#IWearPink to support my friends and family members who have been touched by breast cancer. I’ll continue to do so until we find a cure!” Kate Mahler, CAE, deputy executive vice president.
“#IWearPink for my aunt – Nettie Marie McAllister. A strong professional woman who devoted to her life to teaching and leading other educators as a Columbus City Schools elementary school principal in an era when few women served in administrative roles. I was named after my aunt – we share the same middle name Marie. While my aunt never married or had children, she was completely committed to being a supportive and very proud aunt to her two nieces and two nephews. She was all about family. She always provided unconditional love and was an unwavering cheerleader in any and all of my endeavors. And she could bake a mean birthday cake – my choice: chocolate with chocolate frosting. She passed over 20 years ago, but I feel her presence every day,” Ann Spicer, executive vice president.
Breast cancer is the second most common cause of death from cancer in women in the United States, after lung cancer. However, since 1989, the number of women who have died of breast cancer has steadily decreased thanks to early detection and treatment improvements.