This Means War: One Battle at Time, Here’s How to Get Involved in the Fight Against Breast Cancer

Breast cancer’s impact isn’t limited to those who have been diagnosed, entire families and communities are affected. A single diagnosis means that more than one life has joined the fight. The patient, their family, neighbors and communities rally around waiting rooms, hospitals and hospice beds.

Simply put: The time is now to prevent another life from being taken by this disease that kills more than 40,000 women in the U.S. each year. Many strides have been made since organizations, like the Susan G. Komen Foundation founded in 1982, have launched awareness campaigns that have been hosted across the country, perhaps even in your hometown. But there’s still more work to do. After all, it’s rare to find someone who hasn’t known anyone affected by breast cancer.

That’s why it continues to be important to get involved in Breast Cancer Awareness Month and support the cause, support the women fighting this disease, their families and the communities that join them in the fight of a lifetime.

October Is the Time to Spread Awareness, Facts

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and many organizations, like the Komen foundation, the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc., and numerous others, use the month to educate the public about breast cancer, help women learn how to reduce their risk and fundraise for research efforts.

Nearly 280,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with breast cancer each year and more than 40,000 women die from the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Most at risk are women, ages 50 and older, but breast cancer affects younger women, too. In fact, women younger than 45 account for 10% of all new cases, the CDC reports. And breast cancer doesn’t only affect women; men also get breast cancer. Still, it’s not very common — less than 1% of breast cancers develop in men.

How You Can Get Involved

There are many ways you can get involved in generating awareness about breast cancer. Here are just a few:

• Update your social media profile. Whether it’s on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or another platform, generating awareness about Breast Cancer Awareness Month is as simple as changing your photo to a pink ribbon to show your support.
• Wear pink. The color pink has become synonymous with breast cancer awareness and it’s another easy way to get the word out about this disease.
• Get educated. Armed with facts about breast cancer and the countless women it impacts each year can make it easier to discuss the disease and generate awareness on social media or in everyday conversations. The CDC’s searchable database enables users to find statistics on a state and county level, discover trends, demographics, prevalence, risk factors and more.
• Make a donation. Donating to a breast cancer-related organization is one way to get involved, giving needed funds toward research or even helping a local mom pay her medical bills.
• Organize a local fundraiser or join one. Organizing a fundraiser in the community is another way to get involved. To get started organizing a virtual fundraiser, check out these organizations or host your own virtual run, walk or bike fundraiser:
  • The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation “Race for the Cure”
  • The American Cancer Society’s “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer”
  • The Young Survival Coalition: “Tour De Pink”
  • The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Crusade
• Start your own fundraiser at the Breast Cancer Research Foundation or by visiting any national nonprofit or find a state or local organization raising money to support the cause.

There are many ways to get involved in generating awareness about breast cancer — not only this October, but all year long. Find businesses in your community that care about supporting local women in the fight and their families because winning the war against breast cancer is fought one battle at a time.

The team at Aaron Pools and Spas cares about the fight against breast cancer and encourages the community to get involved this October. A family-owned and -operated business, Aaron Pools and Spas focuses on improving the quality time that families spend together at home through the installation of more than 2,000 swimming pools and hot tubs — from Cape Cod to Connecticut. Call 508-689-5042 today for a free quote or visit their website.