Since 1985, October has been National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This was started by the American Cancer Society. The goal of this month is to spread awareness of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer. Part of the original idea of starting this month was to help further educate all women about breast cancer and the early signs of it. The awareness month was also created to help inform women about at-home tests that they can do to see if they notice any sort of cancer forming, so that they can take charge of their breast health and encourage the importance of getting mammograms. 

October is most recognized for its pink ribbon, signifying breast cancer, similar to how a golden yellow ribbon is for childhood cancer. According to Brevard Health, the pink ribbon didn’t become associated with breast cancer until 1992, when Estée Lauder cosmetics held a nationwide campaign about breast cancer and used the pink ribbon. Many companies and sports have helped bring awareness to October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, such as the NFL, where nearly all of the players, coaches, and referees wear a pink ribbon on their uniform for the month of October. Similarly, many companies will make pink products where the proceeds will go to breast cancer research, such as Panera Bread offering Pink Ribbon Bagel in select locations to help bring awareness. 

October should be a reminder for everyone to make sure the women they care about in their lives are on top of their breast health. According to Cancer.org, globally, it is estimated that two million women a year are diagnosed with breast cancer, and about 650,000 of those women die yearly from this cancer. One in three women will get diagnosed with breast cancer, which means most people end up knowing someone who has suffered from this cancer, and use this month to get mammograms and other health checks.