By Ksena Spencer

The month of October is about so much more than carving pumpkins and dressing up in costumes.

October is the official month dedicated to breast cancer awareness with pink as its color. Since Halloween is celebrated and looked forward to by many, people might overlook or forget what October also represents.

 GS has an annual pink out game that is held at home on October 21^st. The Interact Club held a fundraiser in which they sold Pink Out T-Shirts for the game.

“This year, we are donating the money to a family that is within the school district who has a loved one that is battling breast cancer,” senior Logan O’Brien said. “Hopefully, the money will be used to help offset their bill for treatment even if it is in the slightest bit. We expect to be able to donate over $1,000.”

Everyone has a female in their life whether that’s a mother, sister, cousin, aunt, grandmother or daughter. According to https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/causes-of-breast-cancer, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Most people, if not everyone, knows someone who has been affected by breast cancer.

“I feel like no one is informed enough about breast cancer until they have it affect their life,” junior Addison Saraceni said. “Everyone can somewhat understand the severity of it, but no one realizes how much it affects someone until it affects them.”

While many people are aware of breast cancer, they might not understand how complicated the treatment process is. Treatments for breast cancer include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, estrogen modulator and other therapies or medications.

“The school can advertise more; the school doesn’t spread the word very much about breast cancer and other cancers, it isn’t one of the many things we learn about,” sophomore Cooper Dann said.

According to https://www.bcrf.org/breast-cancer-statistics-and-resources/, an estimated 290,560 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States this year.

“The best way to help is by showing support to these families going through these tough times seeing a loved one go through chemotherapy or radiation therapy,” O’Brien said. “It’s a very long and painful experience for the person battling breast cancer and their loved ones.”

Specific support groups exist to help anyone who’s survived breast cancer or is currently fighting a battle against it. Support groups bring people together who are going through the same experiences.  Being in a support group offers a safe space to share feelings, coping mechanisms and personal experiences.

“Breast Cancer affected my life in November of 2021 when it took my Grandma Sally’s life,” O’Brien said. “She had stage four breast cancer and I had to slowly watch her deteriorate from her radiation treatment and it drained my entire family. I can remember the day I received the call from my sister saying she had passed away and that day is something I will never forget. My grandma had a huge influence on my life and since she passed away; I base my actions off of what I think would make her proud.”

Breast cancer impacts the lives of people all around the world. Wearing pink shows support for survivors, people still fighting their battle against breast cancer and anyone affected by it.

“I think because of October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, more and more people are informed about some aspects of breast cancer,” GSMS geoscience teacher Ms. Lisa Mankins said. “However, when you go through it, the learning curve is way more significant.”