Pink October Campaign: what is it about?

We've reached another October. And with the arrival of the penultimate month of the year, the mobilization around Pink October begins with everything.

Pink October

With the popularization of the campaign, it is unlikely that there is anyone who has never heard of the Pink October campaigns.

This campaign – which runs from October 1st to October 31st – Its main objective is to alert and raise awareness throughout society about the importance of prevention and early diagnosis of breast cancer.

To help raise awareness, throughout the month of October, the focus is on the disease.

And this awareness can happen in different ways: events, debates, demonstrations, races are held, and informative and educational materials are distributed so that the main information on the topic is increasingly disseminated.

The origin of the Pink October campaign

The movement, which had its origins in the early 1990s, began with the first Race for the Cure, which was held in New York City.

The event aimed to raise funds for research carried out by an institution called the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Despite its modest beginnings, the event became famous and spread to several cities in the United States.

As time went by, the campaign broke boundaries and the practice spread more and more. Today, the month of October has become the main focus of actions throughout the year – and all over the world.

The main objective of the Pink October campaign

In addition to helping to disseminate important information that can help people learn more about the disease, one of the main objectives of the campaign is to encourage regular exams – such as mammograms and self-examinations – to ensure women's health.

Prevention is an excellent tool in the fight against the disease, since, in cases of breast cancer, undergoing examinations is a key part of ensuring an early diagnosis.

When diagnosed in its early stages and with the correct treatments, the patient has an even greater chance of curing the disease.

Pink October in Brazil

Here in Brazil, it took a while for people to embrace Pink October, but it finally arrived.

In October 2002, the Ibirapuera Obelisk, one of São Paulo's main tourist attractions, was illuminated with pink lights, a characteristic sign of the campaign. This was the first major sign of the country's involvement with the campaign.

After this isolated event, it was only in 2008 that the movement gained strength again.

This time, several cities in the country lit up their main monuments and tourist attractions in pink at night – a very common practice around the world during this period – in support of the month.

Thirteen years have passed since then, and fortunately the scenario has changed for the better. Nowadays, practically all sectors of society are engaged in the mission, to help spread this message that is so important.

Colors throughout the year

As the movement became more popular over the years, campaigns aimed at informing and promoting awareness about several other diseases were also created.

Through their distinctive colors, these campaigns are gradually gaining ground in society. These are some of the best-known campaigns:

White January: The year begins with the aim of raising awareness among the population about an increasingly discussed topic: mental health. The topic has become even more recurrent due to the social isolation we have recently experienced, due to the COVID-19 pandemic that the whole world is facing.
Orange February: In addition to the famous carnival, in February the campaign is focused on leukemia.
Lilac March: In the third month of the year, the focus is on raising awareness and preventing cervical cancer, as this is the fourth leading cause of death from cancer among women in Brazil.
Blue April: In addition to the already famous Blue November, the color is still used to symbolize Autism Awareness Month, aiming to bring more and more information about the disorder to the general public.
Red June: In addition to blue, another color that is repeated throughout the year is red. In June, the color acts as an incentive to donate blood. June was the month chosen to represent this fight because, in winter, blood banks suffer a considerable reduction due to the lack of donors.
Yellow September: Having gained more and more strength in recent years, another campaign that has been generating a lot of commotion is Yellow September, the movement to raise awareness about suicide prevention.
Blue November: Probably the most famous campaign after Pink October, the focus of this month is men's health, focusing on the prevention of prostate cancer, also highlighting the importance of carrying out tests for early diagnosis.
Red December: The mission of the last month of the year is to raise awareness about the importance of preventing infection by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the fight to protect patients living with HIV/AIDS, as there is still a lot of prejudice caused by the lack of information on the subject.

Although most of them are not yet as recognized by the general public as the Pink October, it is very important that these campaigns are increasingly encouraged. This is beneficial for both patients and society as a whole.

As you can see, the importance of Pink October It's huge! In addition to raising awareness among the entire population, through it, millions of women around the world began to become more aware of the need for prevention and self-care when it comes to health.

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Nathalia Silva October 1, 2021

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