The Falcon   |   Volume 83, Issue 52

Published 5/22/13   |   Log In

Seahawks fashion pink in support

SPU to take a stand against breast cancer

By MADELEINE KERN, Staff Reporter

Published: October 17, 2012

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and national sports teams are accenting their uniforms with none other than the color pink. The NFL is collaborating with the American Cancer Society with the slogan, “Crucial Catch.” Throughout the month, players, coaches and referees will wear pink game apparel, on-field pink ribbon stencils, special game balls and pink coins. All items will be auctioned off at the NFL Auction at the end of this month long event.

Seattle’s own Seahawks proudly represented the color pink as well. On Sunday, Oct. 14, as they competed against the New England Patriots. The question all through the game wasn’t, ‘who would win?’ but instead ‘who was wearing the most pink?’

But it isn’t just for the NFL. October gives SPU students several opportunities to gain an understanding of breast cancer.

Today in the Hill Hall Lounge, there will be pink hair feathers for students to show support for Breast Cancer Awareness month at 7:00 p.m. According to Shelby Spear, Hill Hall peer advisor, the next thing on the agenda is a documentary with a “down to earth look at an individual’s walk through trying to find a cure and then discovering the brilliance of her life.”

Next Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in the Hill Hall Lounge there will be a guest speaker.

“The last session will be a speaker who has received treatment for breast cancer the past year and a half and is a mother of three girls…[she] will be speaking to breast cancer awareness, her personal cancer story and answering student questions,” Spear said.

This spring, there will be the annual Relay for Life at SPU. This celebration of survivorship and hope will be held in May and is yet another way to raise awareness. This event is held so that anyone affected by cancer can celebrate the victory, remember those lost and continue to fight against it. Relay for Life welcomes people from all backgrounds.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer a woman can face in her lifetime (excluding skin cancer), according to the American Cancer Society.

Being well informed can save your life. According to the American Cancer Society, all women can get breast cancer – even those who have no family history of the disease. The two most important factors for breast cancer are being a woman and growing older. Women diagnosed early with breast cancer, when it is small and has not spread, have a high chance of surviving it. Mammograms are the best way to catch it early. To reduce chances of developing breast cancer, it is important to engage in regular physical activity, maintain a healthy weight and limit alcohol intake. The best defense against cancer is early detection – finding a cancer early before it has spread. Not only is it important to support breast cancer awareness but to understand and acknowledge the warning signs of any cruel carcinogens.

While the official month of awareness stops on the 31st, the fight against cancer continues on.

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