I’ve never gravitated toward pink as a color. To be quite honest, purple is more my signature style.

But every October, I make a point to try to sport a splash of pink at least one day during the month in honor of the extraordinary women in my life who’ve fought, who continue to fight, and who have succumbed to breast cancer.

The Susan G. Komen Foundation reports that in 2024, about 313,000 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer — that’s women and men. And yet, we have advancements in early detection methods and methods of treatment so that today, when caught in its earliest, localized stages, the five-year relative survival rate is 99%.

Yes. You read that right. Improvements in early detection and treatment contributed to a 44% decline in breast cancer death rate in the U.S. between 1989 and 2022. There are more than 4 million breast cancer survivors and patients and those living with breast cancer in the U.S. today.

Now, I’m no scientist. Just an observer of humans. What I’ve observed over 46 years is that we women brought the conversation about breast cancer into the light. And it was that act of breeching convention, and “decency,” that led to frank education and outreach, that led to fundraising, that led to treatment and interventions today.

Friends, I was a child of the 1980s and 1990s, and I remember the hushed whispers and pitying looks among the older women in my mother’s friend groups. I remember the tragic plotlines of movies and romance novels where the heroine received a diagnosis in one scene, and her husband was left a widower in the next scene.

Tough enough

I remember when the pink ribbon campaigns first gained traction. And how women started banding together to DO something — since it seemed no one else was going to take the issue seriously and throw money into fighting it. Survivors told their stories in public and put a face to such a private issue. Family members and friends vocalized their support by walking in 5Ks and wearing T-shirts, and even shaving their heads in solidarity.

We stopped the euphemisms and spoke its name out loud — “breast cancer.” You can’t fight something you’re afraid to name, right?

And I remember the first time I witnessed a “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” night at a professional rodeo. The sight of those rodeo cowboys, wearing their pink shirts, and some in pink chaps — well, it brought a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes. It felt a little like seeing the cavalry charging in to lend a hand in the fight.

Now, did all of this directly contribute to higher survival rates and advancements in treatment methods and interventions? Probably not directly. Did all of this money that was raised lead to a cure? Well, not a cure — yet.

But it did raise awareness in a whole new generation of women to go get checked. Generation X talks openly about going and getting mammograms. We may even post to our social media accounts about “getting ’em checked” as a way to destigmatize the screening. And the millennials who are reaching their 40s are carrying on the conversations.

This pink storm led to raising money for low-cost or free mammograms. And those funds raised went to gathering data and research to help underserved groups in their fight against the disease. More tools in the longer battle.

Friends, the minute we took the conversation public, that’s the point when real change started to happen. And that’s a lesson we should remember.

You can’t change something if you’re not willing to talk about it frankly, openly and candidly. Real progress comes when we put aside the pearl-clutching and we address the reality of the situation. It’s messy. It’s embarrassing at points. It’s awkward, and complicated, and it brings up feelings we’d rather not have.

But when we do the work, we see the results. A 44% decline in the breast cancer death rate over three decades is proof.

Read more about screening and early detection at komen.org. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommends a mammogram every year starting at age 40 if you’re at average risk for breast cancer. A clinical breast exam is recommended at least every three years starting at age 25 and every year starting at age 40. Talk with a doctor about which screening tests are right for you.