Beech Tree News Network

 Butler County Judge Executive David Fields signed a proclamation on Thursday, October 1st declaring October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Butler County.  Joining Judge Fields were survivors Becky Hankins and Shanna Drake, her husband Greg and daughter Maggie, American Cancer Society Representative for Butler County Molly Embry, Audrey Pendley, Sherry Johnson, Butler County Court Clerk, and Suzanne Brosnan, PVA.
October marks the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness month, an annual campaign that aims to increase knowledge and awareness of the disease.

The Fifth Annual Turn Morgantown PINK Breast Cancer Awareness event will be at 2:00pm, Sunday, October 4th on the front lawn of the Butler County Courthouse. This event will encourage newly diagnosed patients, honor breast cancer survivors, as well as remembering those who are no longer with us because of this disease. There will be a short ceremony with local talent providing entertainment.

 
A closer look at the staggering stats about breast cancer reveal why this is an important cause to so many people.

• According to the American Cancer Society, every 2 minutes a woman in the United States is diagnosed with breast cancer -- that’s everything from “stage zero” cancer (which some doctors believe shouldn’t even be called cancer) to the deadliest form: invasive breast cancer.

• The cancer organization also estimates that 231,840 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the United States this year. And an estimated 2,350 new cases will be diagnosed in men.

• These numbers have influenced the need for early detection and screenings. According to the Food and Drug Administration, more than 39 million mammograms are performed each year in the United States.
• And those mammograms may have had an impact. The American Cancer Society reports that the breast cancer death rate is down 34% since 1990. As of Jan. 1, 2014, there were more than 3.1 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S.

 Please join Beech Tree News in honoring the survivors and remembering those who fought the battle but are no longer with us in the comment section.