This year, an estimated 41,400 people, both men and women, are believed to die from breast cancer.  Currently there are over three million women in the United States suffering from breast cancer. Thanks to recent research, however, the rate at which females diagnosed with breast cancer is expected to go down by 19.6% by 2020.  

To honor lives lost and support research to find a cure for breast cancer, October has been designated “Breast Cancer Awareness Month.” Nationalbreastcancer.org allows people to donate to support research and get more women suffering from breast cancer the help they need.

Thanks to donations made to Nation Breast Cancer Foundation, over 1.7 million breast health resources were provided to women in need.  This is not the only foundation that is trying to help people suffering from breast cancer, however.  Other organizations like Breast Cancer UK, Think-Pink, and Pink Caravan also raise money for funding research, reducing costs for patients, and reaching more people that may have early stages of breast cancer without realizing it.

To show support for people suffering from or have died from breast cancer, many people wear pink.  Around 1992, pink was chosen as the color to represent support for breast cancer. Since then, many people who have had family members who dealt with breast cancer have taken to wearing pink ribbons or clothing.  Some try to wear something pink every day to show support through the whole month.

Not too long ago smallpox was killing people on a regular basis, but now we have vaccines that prevent it from a young age.  Sometime in the near future, it is quite possible that people will get vaccines fight off cancers.

Sources:

1. https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/research/articles/cancer_2020.htm
2. https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-awareness-month
3. https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/breast-cancer/statistics/2015
4. https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-awareness-month\
5. https://www.maurerfoundation.org/breast-cancer-and-the-history-of-the-pink-ribbon/
6. http://www.healthinsurancequotes.org/7-deadly-diseases-cured-in-our-lifetime/
7. https://www.cancer.gov/about-nci/budget/fact-book/data/research-funding
8. https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/
9. https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/global-organizations-dedicated-to-breast-cancer-prevention
10. https://www.breastcanceruk.org.uk/
11. https://www.think-pink.be/en/info/Think-Pink
12. http://www.pinkcaravan.ae/