October may be known for big football games and the ghosts and ghouls of Halloween, but it’s also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Pink clothing is being worn all over the country as word about the deadly disease continues to spread.

At sporting events in Selma, teams are wearing pink socks, pink headbands and other pink equipment to highlight a month where we as a nation bring awareness to a disease that is currently the second leading cause of death of women.

As a city, we applaud those that have taken the initiative of bringing awareness to this scary disease.  For instance, the Dallas County volleyball team is wearing pink socks for games and many Ellwood Christian football players did the same thing for Thursday night’s game against Maplesville.

Statistics from the National Breast Cancer Foundation show all the pink has helped, as most people are aware of breast cancer. The problem is many do not make a plan to test for the disease when it is in its early stages and that’s the key to living a fulfilling life after the diagnosis.

When breast cancer is diagnosed early, in the localized stage, the five-year survival rate is 98 percent, according to the NBCF.

Those numbers are extraordinary and show why it’s important to keep spreading the word.

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, according to the NBCF. An estimated 220,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States each year and more than 40,000 die from the disease each year, according to the NBCF.

Breast cancer in men is rare, but it does exist and it also takes lives.

An estimated 2,150 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and approximately 410 will die each year.

It’s time for all of us to do our part.

Wearing an item of pink clothing — even if its just an arm band or socks — helps spread awareness of this deadly disease. If pink isn’t in your wardrobe, do your part and tell someone about the disease. And, if you don’t think either of those is enough, there are plenty of ways to donate to help those combating the disease.