Patrick Kenney
Editor-In-Chief
@PRyKenney
By now, the color pink has completely taken over the month of October.
From walks to fundraisers to NFL players covered in pink, Breast Cancer Awareness is alive and well. But for those affected by breast cancer, the month of October means so much more. It is a chance to express love, loss, and hope.
I was nearly two when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.
I had no idea why she was bald or why she was constantly in and out of the hospital. To me, that was just how things were. Breast cancer, or any form of cancer for that matter, is not an easy thing for a family with two children under the age of two to deal with.
Thankfully I can say that my mom has been a survivor for the past 19 years and that I am still able to celebrate and wear pink with her on her birthday, which falls on Oct. 4.
To our family, and many others, pink is much more than a ribbon worn on a shirt. It is the symbol of hope.
I remember my mom telling me that hope was all she had. She was scared. She didn’t know what to do. But what really pushed her through was hope and the love she had from her family.
Throughout all of the pink parades and pink merchandise, the essence of hope seems to get lost in the mix. For any family/person affected with any cancer, hope is of the utmost importance.
Seeing pink can bring awareness to breast cancer in general, but donating time and money to many of the foundations around the country supplies those affected with hope that someday there will be a cure.
Cancer, in all forms, is no easy thing to deal with.
As the last few days of October flow by, I ask only one thing: Remember why you are wearing the color pink. Remember what it stands for. Understand the power that color has to so many families and individuals affected by breast cancer.
I wear pink to honor my mom and to spread the message that there is always hope, you just have to find it.