Kean is in sync with pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

By Tiye Bracy | Published by October 16th, 2019

Breast Cancer Awareness Month began on Tuesday, Oct. 1 and ends on Thursday, Oct. 31. Breast cancer is the second most common cause of death from cancer among women and men. In fact, U.S. Breast Cancer Statistics states “estimated 268,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S [this year].”

Kean University organizations engage in many events and fundraisers to support the cause of breast cancer. The Breast Cancer Bake-Off event took place on Friday, Oct. 6, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. 

“We have a competition every October from the different departments to see who can raise the most money,” Mary Linen, the Creative Media Specialist for The Cougar’s Byte explained. “The different departments in the Center for Leadership and Success are The Cougar’s Byte, Leadership Institute, Greek Life Affairs, Involvement Center, and Customer and Community Service.”

All levels of leadership from gold to bronze participate in baking home goods, including cookies, brownies, and cupcakes. The funds that are earned from the bake sales go to the American Cancer Society. 

“I raise money for breast cancer all the time. It runs in my family; my aunt has breast cancer, my mom gets checked for breast cancer [regularly].”

The second event was “For the Women,” located in the Bartley Community Center hosted by Residential Student Services on Monday, Oct. 7. 

The purpose of this event was to support women who suffer from breast cancer.

“To have residents come out and decorate letters for women that are important to them,” Abby Abebefe, a Residential Assistant said. “So, it’s a little women empowerment but also breast cancer awareness.”

The ribbon stamps are going to be placed in the Bartley Community Center on the bulletin board.

The table consisted of candy and flyers about the statistics and misconceptions of breast cancer. 

One of the myths is that breast cancer only affects women.

According to U.S. Breast Cancer Statistics, “A man’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is about 1 in 883.”

Although being diagnosed with breast cancer is a battle, it is not impossible to overcome. A student at Kean witnessed her mom’s close friend go through the process.

“After she went through all the treatments and they told her she was cancer-free, it gave her that big push that she needed,” Brittany Kakoleski said. “[Now] she runs about 10 miles every morning.”

Additional events to support Breast Cancer Awareness can be found on Cougar Link, including Balling for Breast Cancer, Breast Cancer Dinner, Breast Cancer Awareness Seminar, and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk.

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