Pink Week observed for breast cancer awareness

The Troy University chapter of Colleges Against Cancer is holding its first Pink Week this week.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and Colleges Against Cancer has held events each day this week in honor of those who have battled cancer.

On Monday, Oct. 26, CAC held a balloon release, where students were encouraged to write the name of a loved one who has been affected by breast cancer on a tag, attach it to the balloon and release the balloon.

On Tuesday, it held a bake sale at the Trojan Center. On Wednesday, a HOPE sign was placed outside the Trojan Center, and students could place a pink-colored handprint on it for small donations to Relay for Life.

According to BreastCancer.org, about one in eight American women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime, and about 2,350 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in men in 2015.

“One way or another, everyone is affected, and it is important to know the signs (of cancer),” said Courtney Cole, Colleges Against Cancer vice president and freshman music education major from Niceville, Florida.

Nikki DeRidder, a senior English language arts major from Brewton, said that she has close relatives who have been affected by breast cancer.

“We need more awareness and emphasis on getting mammograms,” DeRidder said. “It’s not just something that affects women over 40.”

DeRidder also emphasized that breast cancer can occur in men as well.