Think Pink!

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) was founded in 1985 as a partnership between the American Cancer Society and the makers of anti-breast cancer drugs. Their aim was to promote mammograms as the most effective weapon against breast cancer, but little did they know how NBCAM would take off — with the decking of buildings and landmarks all over the world in pink during the month of October. NFL players may wear pink during October, but the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building and Constantine’s Arch in Rome are all illuminated in pink as well. NBCAM is closely associated with the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, although NBCAM is much more than that today. The first Race for the Cure was held in 1983 in Dallas, TX, and only had 800 participants. By 2002, the same race was held in more than 100 US cities and had roughly 1.3 million participants. By 2010, it had expanded to more than 50 non-US countries.