We’re midway through October and we should all know that this month is about a lot more than the carefree, hair-raising holiday of Halloween. It is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
That means that we are all seeing the world — and the struggle of those facing breast cancer head-on — through pink-colored glasses. This month is filled with galas, walks, commercials, and anything else you can think of to raise awareness and funds to help battle this horrible disease. You might think that, after all of that, it is only natural that we would be experts on all things breast cancer. But are we?
Where do the millions of dollars go that are raised? How is that money dispersed? What part of the fight towards breast cancer gets the most funds? These are all questions that we should be asking ourselves. Although many of us will never be diagnosed with breast cancer, we are affected nonetheless. The odds are that someone you know — maybe a family member, friend, co-worker, or acquaintance — is linked to breast cancer, and it is our duty to make sure that our awareness goes much deeper than simply wearing a pink ribbon.
According to the American Cancer Society, the division of income made from the countless fundraisers remains about the same every year. But is it time to change the numbers? This year, 16 percent of the funds will go toward research, 16 percent toward prevention, 28 toward patient support, 12 percent toward detection and treatment, and 7 percent toward management. The cycle then continues, with 21 percent of funds going toward fundraising for the next year. Many consumers believe that all of the donations go toward ending breast cancer — this belief is not realistic.
But not enough money is going toward the annihilation of breast cancer altogether. When we look at the numbers, more money goes toward fundraising for the next year than research and prevention. It might be time for a change, and the only way that this change happens is if our voices are heard. We need to get educated, lend a helping hand, increase breast cancer awareness, and even take on leadership roles. Because then, and only then, can we have a say about where the money goes. Then one day, when we live in a world with no breast cancer, we can say that we were a major part in making that happen.
