October is our chance to show that we care about breast cancer victims or survivors. It is our chance to be closer to the people still fighting the disease. It is our chance to wear pink and not because we like it but because it is the universal symbol of breast cancer.

So let’s wear pink for those who left us too early because they couldn’t be saved in time, for those still fighting the disease, for those unaware that they have it, for those who will have it and, why not, for us. Maybe this way we will be more aware of the fact that health comes first and we should do whatever is needed when it is needed.

Maybe this way we will send a message to women nationwide that breast cancer needs to be diagnosed right away in order to survive it. According to recent figures, if breast cancer is detected early, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer exceeds 90 percent. There are over 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the US at the moment, mainly due to early detection and treatment.

There are a series of methods showing whether you have breast cancer or not including self and clinical breast exams, x-ray mammography and breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Women are recommended to see their doctors for periodic controls once they are over the age of 40. Let’s not forget about genetic testing, which is highly recommended in the case of women who had relatives dying of breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common cause of death from cancer among Hispanic women and the second most common cause of death from cancer among white, black, Asian and American Indian women. According to the American Cancer Society’s statistics, breast cancer accounts for nearly one in three cancers diagnosed in American women.

The National Breast Cancer Foundation estimates that each year, over 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and over 40,000 die. Breast cancer is not exclusively a disease of women. Approximately 1,700 men are diagnosed with breast cancer and 450 die each year. The incidence of breast cancer increases dramatically after age fifty, with fifty percent of breast cancers diagnosed in women over the age of forty-five.

Who is at risk of breast cancer? Well, according to the American Cancer Society, women having cases of breast cancer running in their family have high chances to develop the disease themselves. Obese women, especially those who are post-menopausal, women who consume excessive amounts of alcohol (greater than two ounces per day) and those who smoke are also at increased risk. Patients who have a history of receiving radiation therapy for other conditions are at greater risk, as are those who have undergone numerous breast biopsies.

Given the gravity of the disease, we should be able to steal some minutes from our daily lives and think “pink.” Those minutes can be life saving. When was the last time you checked yourself?