Historic City Hall Clock Tower Goes Pink In October

October is usually a month associated with orange and black. However, the Louisville Metro Council is focusing its attention on pink to let everyone know it’s time to do something to fight a killer.

For the rest of the month of October, the Historic City Hall Clock Tower at Sixth and Jefferson Streets will glow pink as a reminder that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

“The Metro Council stands with the American Cancer Society to encourage Louisville to screen, self-examine and test for early detection of breast cancer,” says Councilwoman Keisha Dorsey (D-3) who chairs the Metro Council’s Health and Education Committee. “Too many lives and families have been devastated by this disease and we encourage everyone to follow through with a checkup. Early detection can help defeat this killer.”

Aside from the Clock tower, The Metro Council chambers are adorned in pink ribbons at each Council members desk and pink flowers of every type in bowed vases are on either side of the President’s Desk.

“We hope pink will serve as a reminder that lives from all over Metro Louisville have been touched by breast cancer,” says Council President David James (D-6). “Anything we can do to bring awareness to prevention of this disease is a priority for many of us on this Council.”

“We truly appreciate Metro Council’s support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. By encouraging women – and men – to learn more about the disease, early detection and screening, Council is taking the lead toward a healthier Metro,” says Erica Kellem Beasley, executive director for the American Cancer Society in Kentucky.

Breast cancer information and statistics:

• 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
• After skin cancers, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among U.S. women, and the second leading cause of cancer death among women after lung cancer.
• In 2019, approximately 268,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among U.S. women, and 41,760 women will die from the disease.
• The overall breast cancer death rate has decreased consistently since 1989, attributed both to improvements in early detection (through screening as well as increased awareness of symptoms) and treatment, for a total decline of 40% through 2017. As a result of this decline, 375,900 breast cancer deaths have been averted in U.S. women through 2017.
• In 2019, there are more than 3.8 million breast cancer survivors (women).
• In 2019, about 2,670 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in men. About 500 men will die from breast cancer.

The Metro Council is also encouraging the community to get involved with the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. It will take place on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 27, at a new location, Cardinal Stadium. Registration opens at 12:30 p.m.; walk begins at 1:30. The event is free and open to the public and raises funds for breast cancer research, patient support programs, and early detection and prevention programs.

For more information and to register, go to http://makingstrides.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=77432

To learn more about breast cancer and services, go to http://www.cancer.org/content/cancer/en/cancer/breast-cancer.html .