Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual campaign to help raise awareness of breast cancer, educate the public about its symptoms and prevention, and fund research into its causes, treatment and cure.
People from all walks of life recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month through social media campaigns, races, or walking events, that take place across the country throughout the month of October.
It not only is celebrated in the United States — it’s also recognized nationally as a time to promote education around breast cancer. For those who have been affected by or survived breast cancer, it can also be a time to reflect, honor those who were lost, and celebrate survivors.
At Community Health Northwest Florida, we will spotlight breast cancer survivors during the month of October, sharing their stories through a series of videos. Stories of awareness and treatment, recovery and survival.
It is an unfortunate reality that breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women in the United States. Around one in eight women will develop breast cancer over her lifetime, meaning nearly all of us know someone who has been affected. The American Cancer Society predicts there will be more than 300,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed in 2025. While it is a common type of cancer, the factors surrounding breast cancer may not be common knowledge. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is one way to educate — and hopefully inspire — the public.
Jade Martin is an APRN and a women’s health provider with Community Health Northwest Florida.
“A big takeaway for me as a provider is listening to your body and being consistent and, speaking up for yourself,” says Jade Martin, APRN, a women’s health nurse practitioner at Community Health Northwest Florida. “Breast cancer screening is really important in a lot of ways. Not just mammograms, but self-breast exams. A mammogram starting at the age of 40, every year is what we recommend. If you have a strong family history of breast cancer — if you have a family history of prostate cancer — these are all red flags that you talk to your provider about.” Any family history of cancer is reason to inquire sooner rather than later, she says.
The importance of early detection
Tonia Atkins-Jones was diagnosed two decades ago at age 30. Her mother is a 35-year survivor of breast cancer. So she knew the importance of self-examination.
“I found my lump myself,” Atkins-Jones says. “My mom is also a 35 year breast cancer survivor. So with her having gone through the journey, she’s always taught me to do my self breast exams. So one night I was ready to get in the shower and I did my exam myself and I found a lump. I went to the doctor and found out it was cancer.”
Emily Hardin was diagnosed at age 38. She owns the Boobie Boutique, which aids those who have been touched by breast cancer with specialty bras and wigs. (Call them at 850-542-7502.) Like Atkins-Jones, she found a lump herself.
“I thought I was too young for breast cancer,” she says. “So it was really a shock to me when I found a lump, deep in the tissue of my right breast. I’d been doing self examinations because my mother’s a breast cancer survivor.”
Martin acknowledges the fear some women express about mammograms. Radiation. Pain. And uncertainty caused by dense breast tissue, which can require further investigation.
- Emily Hardin, owner of Boobie Boutique in Pensacola. 🎥
- Tonia Atkins-Jones, a 20-year survivor. 🎥
- Rena Bryant-Graham, who found her lump after falling down stairs. 🎥
- Kristin LaMotte, a recent survivor who is still going through treatment. 🎥
- Jade Martin, a women’s care nurse practitioner with Community Health Northwest Florida. 🎥
“It depends on your anatomy,” Martin says. “But, it is a low dose X-ray, and it can detect it can detect breast cancer up to two years prior to you developing a mass. But I encourage you to have that discussion with your provider and get your mammogram.”
And that’s exactly what Kristin LaMotte did. Dense breast tissue led to closer inspection over time.
“I went to my very first mammogram,” LaMotte says. “They said, ‘Well, you have really dense breast tissue.’ And I didn’t know what that meant. [They said] ‘We want to send you for something a little bit more in-depth.’ ”
Six months of monitoring later produced no results — a good thing. “And so I felt good about that. OK, there’s no changes. We’re just going to continue to track it. And then I went back six months later.”
By then, LaMotte could feel it. Not just physically, but existentially, too. “I knew it was there,” she says. “But in my mind, I thought, well, if we’re just tracking it, it’s not anything. And so I went in for my mammogram and my sonogram. And I could see it on the [technician’s] face.”
Breast Cancer Awareness Month began in 1985, through a partnership between the American Cancer Society and Imperial Chemical Industries, which has since become part of AstraZeneca, a producer of breast-cancer drugs. It was created as a way to encourage women to get regular mammograms and has since expanded to address treatment, research, and funding.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is important because it increases awareness of the disease and raises funds for research of its cause, treatments, and cures.
One aspect of awareness is public education. Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaigns help teach the signs and symptoms of breast cancer and ways of prevention, including how to perform a self-exam, how to access proper screening, and the importance of regular mammograms.
The month also highlights new, effective treatment options and surgeries for those affected by breast cancer, including options that are in development or that may not be widely known otherwise.
Whether donating, volunteering, or fundraising, there are several ways to get involved throughout Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Many schools or workplaces have a “Wear Pink” day to encourage people to wear as much pink as they can in their outfits to bring awareness and get people talking. Even just wearing a pink ribbon can start an important conversation.
Raising awareness of breast cancer is a group effort. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a wonderful way to get people involved and excited about lending support and uplifting the voices of patients and survivors.
We can all do our part in highlighting the importance of education, prevention, funding, and research surrounding breast cancer — not just during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but every day of the year.
Women’s Care at Community Health Northwest Florida
Women’s Care is an important service at Community Health Northwest Florida. We have two locations that provide Women’s Care Services — one in Escambia County at our main Jackson Street location, and another on Caroline Street in the heart of Milton.
In addition to breast health and cancer screenings — including mammography — our Women’s Care services include gynecology, cervical cancer screenings, prenatal care, obstetrics and postpartum care, family planning, and STI and HIV testing.
