During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, many Big Spring students will wear pink and donate money at multiple sporting events in October. Every year, there are walks, canning, and days to wear pink all to raise awareness for breast cancer, and Big Spring students will have their chance to participate this week.

On October 21, the Big Spring community will be recognizing the fight against Breast Cancer that many people face at the football game. Dawg Pound adviser, Megan Anderson is helping to coordinate all of the activities at the football game. Anderson said, “We will be doing as much as possible to promote the Pink Out event within the school and community at large in order to stress awareness and support of this cause.” The hype for the game starts in the high school, with students chatting about how much pink they are going to wear for the game, and moves onto their families, who are aware of the game now as well.

Stressing this cause means a lot to many families and to faculty within the district of Big Spring.  A first grade teacher at Newville Elementary, Wendy Wolpert, tells how she is connected. Wolpert said, “I have been very vocal about breast cancer awareness.  Whenever and however I can spread the word and share my story, I will!” Mrs. Wolpert was diagnosed with stage 3c (out of 4 stages) Breast cancer at the age of 37.  This was originally a roadblock for her but Wolpert said, “I turned this “roadblock” around immediately, because it would always be that I had cancer; it certainly did not have me.”

Bringing awareness to this disease is very important due to many women going through this in their lifetime.  This cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer within women. About 1 in every 8 U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer. The cancer claims more women’s lives than any other cancer. 85% of cases of breast cancer are found in individuals with no recorded family history of Breast Cancer.

Wolpert said, “Prior to my diagnosis, I had no connection.  There was no family history.  I was the first to be diagnosed.”  Many women can try to catch the cancer before obtaining it by genetic testing. Wolpert tested positive for a gene making her family qualified to be tested. The gene, CHEK-2, a newly identified gene, is known to cause breast and colon cancer. Her father tested negative, her mother and sister both tested positive. This led them to get mammograms and be searched for suspicious spots found. Wolpert’s sister was then diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer on May 11 of this year. This being caught very early allowed her to only go through 6 treatments of chemo and she will soon begin radiation.

At the game, Wolpert will be one of our honorary captains.  She, along with many other survivors and victims of this cause will be recognized on the field. As they all will be wearing pink, all spectators should as well to raise awareness for this fight. Dawg Pound will have photo booth, free face painting, and even clappers. All money raised from this event will go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Big Spring, Wolpert, and many others are building on the past and looking toward the future.