For most, October is simply the month of Halloween festivities and getting ready for fall. Though it’s much more than that for some. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, along with Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Now that October is coming to a close, it’s time to recap on all of the hard work dedicated towards these two issues during the past month and throughout the year.
Breast cancer is a form of cancer that forms in breast tissue, primarily in women. Though men can be diagnosed with breast cancer, it’s very rare.
About 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer over the course of their lifetime.
With numbers this high, many organizations have been formed in order to help the fight.
Domestic violence is aggressive, emotionally or sexually abusive behavior in a home involving family members or significant others. This violent behavior can result in overwhelming fear and psychological damage. Domestic violence can also be kept a secret (for reasons that I do not know because I have never experienced domestic abuse, nor can anyone speak for all victims). Though domestic violence is less talked about than breast cancer, statistics show that it’s just as prevalent.
1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced domestic violence at some point during their life.
There are countless amounts of organizations for both breast cancer and domestic violence that do work throughout the year. The American Breast Cancer Foundation is a breast cancer organization that not only works around the year but creates special campaigns for the month of October. This year, they created a campaign that empowers and connects those who have breast cancer while raising donations. Their campaign in called “Pinking of You” and allows people to give their digital support to patients along with optional donations to the organization.
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence are two organizations that work to prevent domestic violence and help the victims. They work all year round, but they don’t have any campaigns specifically for October (probably because breast cancer is more popular in October than domestic violence). Instead, they use their power throughout the year to be the voices of victims, help spread awareness, and change legislation in order to protect victims and their cases. They also provide hotline numbers and services for those who need it.
Large organizations like these aren’t the only ones who can help. The women’s empowerment club at my school set up booths during lunch this week in order to collect donations for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. We allowed donors to decide which organizations they wanted to donate to and provided incentives such as stickers, bracelets, and pins.
While October is the awareness month for both of these issues, you can work to make a difference all year round. Donate, set up a fundraiser, or simply help spread awareness for breast cancer and domestic violence. Educate friends on how to give self-breast exams, or provide the hotline numbers for domestic violence worldwide (1-800-799-7233). Just spreading awareness could be enough to save someone’s life.
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