The Once Simple Pink Ribbon

A few years ago, just as we were getting started knocking on doors to promote early detection and awareness that prevention saves lives, women were sporting little pink ribbons. This pink ribbon, which first started appearing around 1992, was both a show of solidarity in the fight against breast cancer, and sometimes a reminder of a loved one who lost their fight against this powerful disease. Like the yellow ribbon to support our troops, and the red ribbon to support AIDS research and prevention, the pink ribbon was a way for those who’d been touched by cancer to stand together.

And then, pink exploded.

This October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, everyone and everything, from airplanes to NFL teams, was covered in a sea of pink. In spite of this successful marketing campaign, the fact remains that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011. Worldwide, that’s 1.5 million women. What’s worse, 40,000 women will die of breast cancer next year.

The Pink Movement has raised an extraordinary amount of money for cancer research, but dollars also need to be raised to educate women on the importance of early detection. The Women’s Breast Health Initiative‘s mission is two-fold: education and early detection. That’s why we started the B4Pink campaign. Cancer isn’t pretty, and no color in the world will comfort a woman who is struggling against the beast that is cancer. When we knock on 10,000 doors in 2011, it’s not to hand out a pink trinket; it’s to educate women and make them aware that their financial status should not affect their ability to be screened for cancer. We want to reach these women and detect the pink beast in the earliest stage possible. We want to help them before they “turn pink.”

You can help us by donating $5 to our cause. That money goes directly to helping an uninsured woman receive a mammogram and educational materials about the importance of breast cancer prevention and early detection.

Wear whatever color makes you happy, and if you’d like to help us continue this life-saving work, click here to donate. Every dollar raised goes towards saving lives.