Wear more pink this October

Dianne Edmondson

Cokie Roberts, a longtime journalist for NPE and ABC, recently joined the legions of women whom we have lost from breast cancer or from complications in battling the disease.

Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I think she would expect us to mention her if only to encourage women and men to be more aware of symptoms and to get regular checkups.

The numbers of those affected by breast cancer are startling.

Each year, physicians diagnose more than 200,000 cases. More than 40,000 women die of female breast cancer nationally each year.

This month, Denton County as a whole and the Denton County Public Health (DCPH) want to recognize breast cancer survivors, those battling the disease as well as their families and friends who serve as sources of encouragement and support. We also applaud the efforts of medical professionals and researchers working to find a cure.

On Monday, Oct. 21, staff at the Lewisville public health office at 190 N. Valley Parkway will wear pink with Denton staff at the main offices at 535 S. Loop 288 donning pink on Thursday, Oct. 24.

A number of organizations, businesses, and other entities were planning events. At the Texas Woman’s University (TWU) Denton campus, the Pink Promises Breast Cancer Awareness Walk brought the TWU community, friends, and families to the TWU Gardens in front of the Fitness and Recreation Center on Oct. 9. The free event included T-shirts on a first come, first serve basis and included a half-mile walk around the campus’ north end. The event ended with a breast cancer story and honoring survivors.

I hope you will consider supporting the efforts to find a cure. But it is also just as important to schedule a visit with your doctor for a regular checkup.

So, this month, wear a little more pink than usual and think of those friends, family members, and even celebrities like Cokie Roberts who have dealt with this disease.

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Contact Precinct 4 Commissioner Dianne Edmondson at 972-434-3960. Her office is located in the Southwest Courthouse, 6200 Canyon Falls Drive, Suite 900, in Flower Mound.