October was National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This movement originated in the year of 1985 as a partnership between the American Cancer Society and the pharmaceutical division of Imperial Chemical Industries with the aim of discovering the best cure against breast cancer. According to the BrevardHEALTHAlliance, the wife of former president Gerald Ford and the First Lady from the years of 1974 to 1977, Betty Ford, helped kickstart the movement and the month of awareness, having been diagnosed with breast cancer herself. Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers diagnosed in women. According to Breastcancer.org, about 1 in 8 U.S women develop invasive breast cancer over the course of their lifetimes. In fact, the site states that “As of January 2021, there are more than 3.8 million women with a history of breast cancer in the U.S.” This number includes women currently being treated as well as women who have completed treatment. It is important that all women are educated and aware of the disease’s symptoms as well as how to acknowledge these symptoms if necessary. Breast Cancer Awareness should be practiced in the highlighted month of October, as well as throughout the entire year.

At Henry P. Becton High School, there were multiple events occurring throughout the month of October to raise and support Breast Cancer Awareness. For starters, there was a fundraiser called Cats United For a Cause, courtesy of Ms. Jessica O’Driscoll, with a goal of raising $1,000 from the Becton family. All of its proceeds were donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. As the recently appointed student activities coordinator, O’Driscoll vulnerably shares, “It is undeniably important to help others as much as we can offer. This is just one of the causes Becton raises money for– and a meaningful one to say the least. Unfortunately, I do know many people who have had and have breast cancer, one of which is my cousin who has just been recently diagnosed. Her diagnosis was just another motivator for me to keep boosting awareness.” We sympathize with O’Driscoll, but also thank her for creating enjoyable activities, and safe environments for her students to enable their support and strengthen their positive mindsets when fighting for this cause close to home.  On a final note, O’Driscoll encourages all her students to, “show up and show their support by participating all year round, not just in October”.

Furthermore, the Girls Helping Girls club also hosted a Pink Bake Sale on October 20 and 27 in order to raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  All proceeds were combined and donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Mrs. Jahn Maka, who has been the advisor of the Girls Helping Girls club since 2019, can only hope that the fundraisers made an even grander contribution towards the Foundation in the name of Becton. To highlight the heart of the club, Maka remarks, “The club members were very passionate about supporting this cause. We had many members dedicate their time to baking and packaging a variety of baked goods. In addition, our members took the time to find a way to decorate the baked goods with pink, to show their support for breast cancer. One member invited her grandmother, a breast cancer survivor, to the bake sale, where she also made a donation to support the cause. Since we were able to generate a lot of sales with the bake sale, we would like to continue this activity next year.  The monetary donations are able to be applied to a variety of services, which include providing mammograms to women in need.” We are truly moved by the tremendous outcome, emotionally and financially, the Girls Helping Girl’s bake sales had. This goes to prove that no step is too small when faced in the right direction.

Finally, along with the Pink Bake sale the Girls Helping Girls club hosted, there were also two Pink-Out Sporting Events towards the end of October. The Volley For the Cure volleyball game that took place on Thursday, October 21, was the first Pink-Out that month where donations for the fundraiser were additionally collected. The volleyball game, which was also the Battle of Paterson Ave. Game, was victorious for the Becton Girls Varsity volleyball team. Senior Amanda Hasch shares, “Per tradition, whoever wins the first game in the beginning of the season chooses what color to wear for the game. The choices are pink or black. As a grateful collective, we were honored to have chosen pink for the game to really stress the importance and awareness of Breast Cancer. Breast Cancer Awareness is always something to come together for whether you know someone who is affected personally or not. This cause will always be meaningful to our school, especially the volleyball team!” Following this,  The Tackle Cancer football game that took place on Friday, October 29 was a Pink Out in honor and recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month as well. For the whole month of October Becton cheerleaders wore Breast Cancer Awareness inspired bows and cheered with metallic pink pom-poms that definitely made a statement. Nonetheless, all sports fought for more than just personal victories those days.

As always, staff and students participated in the annual Pink Day, dressing up in every and all varieties of pink to showcase their unwavering strength as a community at the end of October. Between online donations, the Girls Helping Girls Bake Sales, and donations at local sporting events, Becton Regional High School had raised well over $1,000 in support of Breast Cancer Awareness in the month of October. The initial goal of this movement was to raise awareness about breast cancer and its effects, as well as to educate women about the cancer and urge them to take precautions for their health. Today, current and previous breast cancer survivors are acknowledged and appreciated for their experiences. Their stories are shared and lost ones are honored. October may be over, but it is certain that Becton Regional High School staff and students will continue to back the fight against Breast Cancer.

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