(Top) Doane students and (bottom) members of the crowd wear pink for the Pink Out volleyball game in support of the breast cancer awareness.
Throughout October, the annual international breast cancer campaign focuses on awareness, education and research funding to support victims of this disease which has been tearing people’s lives apart. In Doane, our honorary signature is called Pink Out, and it stands for the representative color and promotion of early detection and treatment.
On Saturday, Oct. 26, during Doane’s volleyball game, the community dressed up in pink attire to honor the victims and families who have been affected by this condition. Merchandise about this event, such as shirts, awareness bracelets, positive message pins and pink necklaces were also shared with the audience from Doane by collaborators sophomore Litzy Lima and Anna who are bound to the fundraiser Relay for Life, which also support cancer awareness and are adamant on the aid in the cure of cancer.
Apart from these take-home accessories presented by the Health Department in Doane University coordinated by Andreaa Baker, Pink Ribbons, the international symbol of breast cancer awareness, created in 1972 by Evelyn Lauder, decorated the walls of the Haddix Center outside the volleyball court with the names of Doane student’s victim family members.
For many students, it has been a way to remember their family from afar and maintain them in their hearts to continue fighting and keeping up the cheer to continue living.
Because breast cancer can happen to anyone at any moment, prevention strategies are encouraged to be healthy as long as possible, for example, knowing more about family history and keeping regular check-ups are good ways to keep track of any change that could be happening to your body.
Knowing that early detection has significantly improved survival rates, and there are over 3.8 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. alone, even more care for healthy habits is issued to understand the dangers our human body is susceptible to.
For breast cancer care, the treatment options such as surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, are expensive, and many foundations across the world are in full support of these victims. Besides Relay for Life here in Nebraska, the American Cancer Society and the National Breast Cancer Foundation, are huge fundraisers dedicated to these specific people who succumb to this illness.
Therefore, as part of the community, involvement as a support to breast cancer awareness can be participating in walks, donations to research organizations and volunteering in cancer organizations. At Doane, Pink Out has been a safe space for students and the community to talk, learn and support more about breast cancer and influence others to help victims in need.
