Think pink month

2–4 minutes

How AHS is honoring breast cancer patients

The month of October is dedicated to spreading awareness about breast cancer, and each year, AHS students work hard to bring attention to this important cause.

The leadership team at AHS organized small activities that students took part in while also encouraging staff and students to show their support. Through small actions like sharing educational posts on social media or handing out ribbons to people who wear pink each Wednesday, the school community is joining the global push to bring attention to the many people who are affected by this disease.

Leadership at AHS has always stressed student involvement for breast cancer awareness in October. This year, they encouraged people to wear shades of pink on every Wednesday this month. To further motivate students to do so, the Leadership team set up a pink background in front of the SAC for a limited time for students to take pictures with their friends.

The pink ribbon symbolizes hope and the ongoing fight against this disease, and by participating in these dress up days, students get a chance to take part in an international campaign to uplift breast cancer survivors by wearing the color pink for the @eaglenation page to post about.

Anushri Bhatia (9), Nimisha Chaurasia (9), Kabir Thapar (9), and Roger Fernando (9) posed in front of the SAC wearing pink and red to show support for breast cancer survivors (Photo Credit: Keerthi Vasudevan (9)).

In addition, the Equity Committee at AHS has been active on their Instagram, @equity.ahs, posting reels that encourage the student body to dress up.

“I know that we take this cause very seriously,” Shanaya Shah (9), the vice president for the freshman class and a member of the Equity Committee, said. “We are trying to raise awareness for it in as many ways as possible.” She mentioned how using social media hooks students in and encourages them to dress up.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world with about 1 in 10 women being diagnosed with it in their lifetime. Though breast cancer affects all genders, only about 1 in 100 cases diagnosed are men. This leads to breast cancer being thought of as a “women’s disease.” As such, there is a much higher mortality rate of men with breast cancer for whom early detection and treatment is much less common.

The pink ribbon that we know of today was first introduced by the Susan G. Komen Foundation to represent hope and strength. The idea stuck, and now, pink is the color that many wear in order to show support for those battling breast cancer and show respect for those who have lost their lives to it.

Contrary to popular belief, the color pink was not chosen for breast cancer because it is regarded as a “women’s disease.” The color pink was meant to symbolize the strong minds of those who survived this illness, as well as hope for the future.

At AHS, the efforts to involve students have been a major success. Many have been spotted wearing pink in the rotunda, and the picture spot that was decorated during Spirit Week encouraged many to wear pink just to take photos with their friends. Leadership’s efforts to educate our student body are helping contribute to the global fight against breast cancer and showing that AHS stands with the affected.