In America, 1 out of every 8 women will develop invasive breast cancer, and every year, countless lives are lost to the vicious disease. There is no hyperbole present in saying that truly everyone, including students here at East, is affected in one way or another.

Darcie Hoppman, Jake Hoppman’s ‘18 mother, is in a long fought battle with Breast Cancer, which has changed life for his family drastically.

“When my mom was first diagnosed I was like ten years old, so I really had no idea what to think, I was just confused at first,” Hoppman said.

Despite the undisputed horror of this disease, the budget of the National Cancer Institute, adjusted for inflation, has been on a downward trend since 2004. Not only is the budget for cancer research waning, but according to Huffington Post, 40% of all cancer deaths are preventable. There is clearly immense progress to be made.

Between donating money and increasing awareness, communities across the nation have the ability to drastically decrease the impact of this disease until a cure is ultimately found. While the effort is constant, the month of October, or ‘Breast Cancer Awareness month’ is especially important.

From Hungry Howies’ pizza boxes to sports uniforms, the symbolic pink ribbon has begun to make its prominent return to countless companies and organizations who pledge to help increase awareness. There is, however, more to the idea of breast cancer awareness than just wearing pink or placing a ribbon on a product. What continues to make breast cancer awareness month such an overwhelming success is the incredible community support that comes with it.

“The community has been super supportive,” Hoppman said. “By bringing us dinners when nobody is home to cooking and things like that has really helped us out.”

Grand Rapids provides numerous opportunities for people to get involved. The American Cancer Association offers a plethora of opportunities both this month and year round, the most noteworthy being the annual ‘Walk For a Cure’, an event in which survivors, fighters, families, and friends gather to walk with the goal of raising both money and awareness, which took place on Saturday, October 21st and along with every year’s walk was a fantastic success.

For people who missed the walk but still want to get involved, the ACA accepts donations and has several other walks upcoming near the area. With BCA month closing down, it remains crucial that people stay mindful of the dangers of cancer and do whatever they can to help find a cure.