Community Corner

Think Pink: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

According to Cancer.org, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, except for skin cancers. About 1 in 8 women in the US will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime.

By Hunt Archbold

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and whether you love to shop or attend events, there are many different ways to support the cause all month long.

According to Cancer.org, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, except for skin cancers. About 1 in 8 women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime.

The American Cancer Society's estimates for breast cancer in the United States for 2013 are:

Find out what's happening in Acworthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • About 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women.
  • About 64,640 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer).
  • About 39,620 women will die from breast cancer

Of course, stepping out and using those able bodies is a big way to help support the cause, too, as the Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer produced by It's The Journey, Inc., (ITJ) is scheduled this coming weekend. 

ITJ's mission is to strengthen Georgia's breast cancer community by raising money and awareness for local Georgia organizations that focus on breast cancer education, research, early detection, awareness and support services, as well as the unmet needs in the breast cancer community.

Find out what's happening in Acworthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Over the past 10 years, ITJ has funded 188 grants totaling more than $9 million to support breast health programs throughout the state.

Originally, the 2-Day Walk went through suburban neighborhoods and was headquartered in Norcross. In 2007, the Atlanta 2-Day Walk moved downtown, and this year the Saturday route of 20 miles will take participants from the Atlanta Marriott Marquis in downtown to Agnes Scott College in Decatur for lunch – and then back. On Sunday, the 10-mile route will take walkers from downtown to the closing ceremonies at Atlantic Station in Midtown.

The Susan G. Komen 3-Day, which begins at Stone Mountain Park and concludes at Turner Field, will take place later in the month on Oct. 18-20. Each participant walks approximately 20 miles each day for three straight days and is required to raise at least $2,300 to participate. Net proceeds help finance breast cancer research, education, and community outreach programs.

Since it debuted in 2003, the Susan G. Komen 3-Day has raised more than $500 million, but there have been criticisms over just how much is funneled to the cancer research organizations the event raises money for.

Komen Atlanta is asking all Atlantans to change their Facebook profile picture in October to the "pink ribbon’’ to help them 'PINK OUT' Atlanta.

TELL US: Is there a special event you participate in to support breast cancer research? Share your stories and thoughts with us by adding them to the comments sections of this article.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Acworth