What People With Breast Cancer Think About Breast Cancer Awareness Month

From pink products lining grocery shelves to pink-themed social events across the country, you don’t have to look far to know that Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2024 is in full swing.

The month aims to motivate people to learn their risk of breast cancer and schedule screenings. It also helps raise money for research and programs that support the millions of people worldwide impacted by the disease. 

No one disagrees that these are important goals for a disease that’s likely to claim the lives of more than 42,000 women and 530 men in the U.S. this year. But the month, with its constant reminders about the disease, can be difficult for some people living with breast cancer or scared about it someday coming back. 

When asked “How does Breast Cancer Awareness Month make you feel?,” members of the Breastcancer.org Community had a range of feelings about the month:

Chart represents the responses of 77 Breastcancer.org Community members as of Oct. 14, 2024.

Below are reflections on the month by people in the Breastcancer.org Community (edited for clarity):

Some people in the Community expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support they feel during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It serves as a reminder of all they’ve been through since being diagnosed with breast cancer and their bond with others affected by the disease.

“To me, anything that can bring awareness, regardless of the ‘money making’ opportunity somewhere for companies, is something positive and good!” wrote aprildavies72. “Breast cancer took a lot away from me, thankfully it didn't take my life, and I ‘feel’ October so much differently now, because it was my fight, too.”

“I … like seeing pink and the messages because it reminds me of all my pink sisters and how we are all in this together and how grateful I am about that,” wrote julie66.

It’s been nearly 40 years since the first Breast Cancer Awareness campaign took place, but there are still major gaps in knowledge, members of the Community pointed out.

“What does ‘awareness’ mean when people are not aware that 25–30% of early stagers [people diagnosed with early stage breast cancer] will have a metastatic recurrence — the incurable, lethal form of the disease?” asked ShetlandPony. “What does awareness mean when men are not aware they can get breast cancer and so will be diagnosed later and have poorer survival? What does awareness mean when women are not aware that mammograms are not a cure, and do not always ‘catch it early’?” 

Another member of the community described being shut down when encouraging a community club to demonstrate their support for people with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). “I emailed them with all the statistics on MBC and asked them to please consider using the MBC ribbon along with the traditional pink ribbon,” wrote goldensrbest. “The response I received was quite frustrating — they wouldn’t add the ribbon as they only fundraise and do not purport to educate. How very sad.”

Despite being the most deadly breast cancer, members of the Community noted that there’s just one day (October 13) set aside for raising awareness about metastatic breast cancer (breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body). 

"Being Stage IV during Breast Cancer Awareness Month sucks,” wrote sf-cakes. "All the messaging about ‘if you catch it early, you'll be fine,’ is simply not always true. Feels like getting slapped in the face every day.”

“Don’t ignore stage IV!” wrote exbrnxgrl. “We are marginalized and almost hidden since no one seems too interested in the fact that tens of thousands still die every year. In the whole fluffy pink awareness movement, we are simply the failures that no one wants out front to make people truly aware of what breast cancer is.”

For some people, the pink products, parties, and messages during October can be triggering.   

“I never liked the color pink, even before I had breast cancer. Now I despise it!” wrote minniesmom. “I live with cancer 365 days a year. I don't need a reminder that I have it. I need people on my side who are actually working on a cure, not trying to sell me a product.” 

“I actually like some shades of [pink] but its use for [breast cancer] month and its pink feather boas, fluffy pink bras, etc. almost feel childlike and purposely silly because breasts, boobies, tits, tatas, are something we know people will giggle about,” wrote exbrnxgrl. “Do we decorate jock straps with blue frippery to raise awareness for prostate cancer?”

“Because pink has been chosen to denote the disease, it is reinforcing the common perception that males don't get breast cancer,” wrote traveltext.

You can develop breast cancer whether or not you eat healthy, exercise a lot, or have a history of breast cancer in your family. Regular mammograms are important no matter how healthy you are — they’re one of the best ways to find a cancer early, when it’s easier to treat. Several members of the Community described how they use this month to encourage others to get screening and learn about what screening they need if they have dense breasts.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is “the perfect time to remind, gently or forcefully, my friends and family to get screened,” wrote dm8521.

“Seems like everyone I know claims they have been told they have very dense breast tissue. I also have very dense tissue. The 3D mammogram barely picked up the cancer in September of 2023. …The ultrasound was what showed I clearly had an issue,” wrote dm8521. “If you have been told you have dense tissue, insist on the ultrasound.”

These quotes reflect just some of the emotions that may arise for people during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. They’re as diverse as the people who are impacted by the disease. If you want to support a person affected by breast cancer during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, consider asking them how they’re doing.

“Focus on listening to individual stories and offering personalized support,” mexicanmary wrote, “rather than just using generic phrases or assumptions.”