October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Women are diagnosed with breast cancer more than any other disease. In the United States, one out of every eight women will develop a form of breast cancer within their lifetimes. On average, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every two minutes. A woman dies from breast cancer every 13 minutes. The National Breast Cancer Foundation estimates that over 246,660 women will be diagnosed with Breast Cancer in the United States alone, and of those more than 40,000 will die from it.
Breast Cancer has permanently impacted so many of our lives and the lives of people we love and care about. Chances are you know someone who lost a loved one to breast cancer. Maybe you have been personally affected yourself. Members of the Benjamin Franklin Texas team have been personally affected by breast cancer, as well.
A Cause We Care About
Four years ago, the Benjamin Franklin management team decided they wanted to do more to help raise awareness for the struggle to treat and cure breast cancer. We sent out a company-wide email asking all technicians and employees to wear pink shoe covers on all our plumbing jobs during the month of October. The employees of Benjamin Franklin plumbing went above and beyond. Now, we wear pink shoe covers, pink ribbons on our uniforms, and sometimes even write the names of loved ones who have been affected by breast cancer on our trucks.
In addition to raising awareness, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing pledges a donation to the National Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation every October. Breast cancer survivor Janelle Hall founded the NBCAF in 1991. Ms. Hall discovered a lump in her breast one day and, recalling training she received in high school, immediately asked her doctor about it. She attributes this early detection to saving her life.
The NBCAF wants to do all it can to detect breast cancer early. That’s why they provide free mammograms to women in all 50 states. Free access to breast cancer detection technology saves lives. They are also funding a wide variety of educational and supportive programs, and contributing to ongoing research.
How You Can Help
Benjamin Franklin Plumbing believes we have an obligation to make a difference in our community and in the world. If we can help combat cancer in any way, we’re all in. If you feel similarly, there’s plenty you can do to help, too! First, you can donate to the NBCAF, or even start your own fundraiser. If you can’t donate right now, don’t worry. You can also help by spreading the word.
You may think just making sure the women in your life know what breast cancer is isn’t important. It absolutely is. The more we all know about breast cancer, the more prepared we will be when it affects us, and the more likely your loved one will identify it early. Your awareness-raising could save lives.
To learn more about breast cancer and what charitable organizations like the NBCAF are doing about it, visit NBCAF’s site. By supporting breast cancer awareness every October, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing believes we can make a real difference in the lives of women everywhere. If you help us, we believe you can, too.