For many in the U.S., October is a time to promote awareness of the impact of breast cancer and to celebrate the strength of those impacted by it.
According to America Sullair, Breast Cancer Awareness Month started in Oct. 1985 and was a collaborative effort between the American Cancer Society and the pharmaceutical division of Imperial Chemical Industries. The overall goal of this was to encourage mammography as the best tool to treat breast cancer. From this, BCAM has evolved into a movement around the globe, dedicating Oct. as a month to promote awareness around breast cancer.
In 2018, the Montgomery County Council recognized Oct. officially as BCAM. Numerous collaborators in Montgomery County contributed to increasing awareness of early detection and offering resources to support those who have been diagnosed.
BCAM allows us to honor those who are diagnosed with breast cancer, to support and recognize them and to call for action to fight against the disease.
Seneca Valley High School sophomore Maya Rork believes that breast cancer impacts not only older women but all of us in different ways. “Even though we are young, it is possible to get it when we are older so it is good to know about it and recognize those who have it,” Rork said.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month provides an opportunity to educate people about breast cancer, such as recognizing symptoms, methods to prevent it and early detection strategies. This leads to better outcomes such as higher survival rates and a better chance of recovery. According to the FDA, one in eight women in the US is at risk of getting breast cancer during their life and more than 40,000 women die from it each year. However, according to WebMD, 91.2% is the overall five-year survival rate. The ten-year survival rate is 84% and fifteen-year rate is 80%.
MCPS is helping to promote and celebrate BCAM. One way is through sports games. Many local high schools have had pink-out games, fundraising, dig pink and donations. At Seneca Valley, every sports team had a breast cancer awareness game. Through many student government programs, students and staff are encouraged to wear pink to show support for breast cancer awareness every Monday. In addition to this, the African American Health Program hosted an awareness event on Oct. 12 at Wheaton Regional Park. It included a breast cancer survivor, telling her story of survival and the African American Health Program (AAHP) discussing prevention and detection.
Seneca Valley educator Lisa Weinstein believes that staff members and school leaders in MCPS can play a role in teaching about health issues, such as breast cancer. “We should make sure students are informed and have critical thinking about what is needed to do so,” Weinstein said.
Seneca Valley sophomore Anna Gerges also believes students can get involved in spreading awareness about breast cancer in MCPS. “Students can get breast cancer awareness pins, shirts or donate to charity,” Gerges said.
“We are all exposed to social media to some extent,” Gerges said. Social media is very effective in spreading awareness about certain issues, such as breast cancer. “It would make it easy to access information and gain knowledge. You can post content easily and view those posts, allowing for the discovery of something new. Also, when people post their experiences, you can benefit from their stories and knowledge,” Rork said.
Moving forward, it is important to take the knowledge we have learned in Oct. about breast cancer into our daily lives, guaranteeing that breast cancer awareness is ongoing throughout the year. Staff, students and the community can work together to make sure this awareness went beyond one month by “making connections, thinking about what causes mattered to you, and how our work mattered for students,” Weinstein said.
Written by Miley Thomas
Graphic by Selena Li