Here’s everything you need to know about Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October.
Back in 2011, one of my closest friends lost her battle with breast cancer. Last week, a close family member received positive information after her fourth chemo treatment, also for breast cancer.
Like many of you, far too many people I know have battled some form of cancer.
Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide, with 20 million new cases and 9.7 million cancer-related deaths reported in 2022. This number is expected to rise to 29.9 million cases and 15.3 million deaths by 2040 [1].
The most common type of cancer is breast cancer and then prostate.
And because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I thought I’d put together a blog post to help you increase workplace awareness.
How can we raise awareness about breast cancer?
You can get involved at work in many ways to raise awareness about breast cancer.
Ways to raise awareness about breast cancer at work include:
Wear pink to raise awareness
One of the more simple ways to raise awareness is to wear pink.
Pink for breast cancer awareness is a symbol of hope for those who’ve been impacted by breast cancer, honoring survivors and those we’ve unfortunately lost to the disease.
Many organizations have Pink Fridays to raise awareness and ask for donations to help fund breast cancer research.
You may have also seen the pink ribbons. These can also be worn in October to raise awareness and show your support.
If you want to take it a step further and your wardrobe allows, consider wearing pink for the entirety of October!
Get active and raise money to fund research
If you want to make an impact, consider raising money for cancer research to fund research to help find a cure.
You can run, walk, host a bake sale, or donate money to breast cancer research.
Example funding activities include:
Running a 5k and wearing pink
Reaching a certain step goal and donating money to charity
Riding a set distance for charity
Challenging yourself and fundraising
Organize health talks and workshops
Without research, we can’t find a cure for cancer.
But you can organize health talks and workshops to increase awareness and education surrounding cancer, including breast cancer.
For example, our best practices for cancer prevention health talk sessions are led by a licensed physician. It explains the value of preventive care screenings—and how to best schedule them—how to prepare physically and mentally for appointments, and more info on cancer detection and healthy habits to help reduce your risk.
Health talk sessions are great for providing education to the entire workplace. By the way, men can also get breast cancer but it is very uncommon.
Know the signs
Currently, approximately 66% of breast cancer cases are diagnosed before they spread outside of the breast—this is when it is easiest and most effective to treat [2].
Spotting symptoms of breast cancer early can increase the success rate of treatment and is, therefore, crucial.
For more advice on spotting breast cancer early, check out the resources from the Breast Cancer Now research and support charity.
Promote wellness to help decrease cancer risk
As a more long-term approach, you can promote healthy habits at work via your wellness program.
The American Cancer Society says that more physical activity is associated with a lower risk of several types of cancer. This includes breast, prostate, endometrium, and colon cancer.
The more people get active at work and develop healthy habits, the lower the risk of certain types of cancer and other diseases.
Add wellness challenges, such as daily movement goals and fitness classes to your wellbeing program to get your workplace moving. Host food and nutrition workshops to help build healthy habits, and teach fitness fundamentals to help develop lifelong physical activity skills for a healthy lifestyle.
Want to get your workplace active? Join FitPros LIVE and get 500+ wellbeing sessions annually. Activities include follow-along fitness classes, meditations, and more. You can also use our app to crown a workplace wellness challenge champion, where employees compete for prizes.
How to talk about cancer in the workplace
Talking about cancer in the workplace can be a troubling subject, especially with how many people it’s directly or indirectly affected.
But that’s why it’s important to talk about.
Raising awareness about breast cancer—and all types of cancer—is one of the first steps to reducing the risk, spotting early symptoms, and helping to fund vital cancer research.
Key takeaways
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer worldwide
29.9 million cancer cases are expected per year by 2040
Wear pink to raise awareness for breast cancer in October
Raise money for charity by hosting workplace challenges to fund cancer research
Increase awareness and education by hosting a cancer workshop
Add physical activity and healthy habits to your wellness program to help reduce the risk of certain types of cancer
FAQs
When is breast cancer awareness month 2024?
Breast Cancer Awareness month takes place from the 1st to the 31st of October.
Is breast cancer awareness month international?
Yes! Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an international health campaign that takes place annually every October.
How do you talk about breast cancer awareness?
Create a safe space, share your experience (if applicable), and strive to educate how common breast cancer is, how to reduce your risk, and how to help fund research.
Looking for more? Contact a Wellbeing Manager to discuss your organizational wellbeing needs.
We provide workplace teams with mindful practices, personal and professional wellbeing growth, fitness instruction, and opportunities for social connection. We aim to inspire the highest potential in people at work, in life, every day, so they can show up healthy and at their best.
Comments