If you’re driving along US 68/80 and notice a bright, pink light emanating from the WKDZ/WHVO studios this week — don’t be alarmed. Your vision isn’t blurred. The building isn’t in danger.
October is “Breast Cancer Awareness” month, and the 18th through the 22nd is “Think Pink” week for the News Edge Media Group.
Friday afternoon from 3-5, the bright hues of blush and bashful will mean a little bit more to this staff, this community and this region through the efforts surrounding the 12th Annual “PINK OUT!” at 19 DJ Everett Drive in Cadiz.
In what will be a two-hour live broadcast and drive-thru event for visitors, The Edge Media Group Owner & CEO Beth Mann notes the gathering hopefully serves as a four-pronged message to a wide variety of individuals:
■ Number one, it’s a time to celebrate and provide hope and courage for people who have been through, or are currently battling, breast cancer and its difficulties.
■ Number two, it’s a time to pause and reflect on those who have fought the fight, because those trials have provided more information on successful medicines and treatments.
■ Number three, it’s an educational vehicle and reminder of the importance of mammography and early detection.
■ And number four, it’s a chance for the community to come together and, if able, provide thoughtful donations to the Pink Ribbon Network — a local non-profit organization that turns contributions into support bags for cancer patients, that often include monogrammed fleece blankets, small under-arm support pillows for post-op, informational literature and other pink ribbon-related items.
Those who stop by on Friday will have access to free COVID-19 vaccinations administered by staff from the Trigg County Hospital — and there’s a strong possibility an order of flu vaccines will arrive on time, as well.
Furthermore, “Think Pink!” T-shirts, goody bags and pink-frosted cupcakes from Hancock’s Neighborhood Market will be available, with donations of all shapes and sizes accepted.
And for Mann, herself a breast cancer survivor, this is a fundraiser with only one goal: outreach.
Breast cancer is the second-most common cancer in women and can affect men, and approximately 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer during some part of their life. Though most cases are found in older women, more than 10% of new cases are found in women younger than 45. Trigg County has one of the lower rates of breast cancer in Kentucky, but it has greatly impacted the lives of many not just in Cadiz, but in surrounding counties.
According to breastcancer.org, more than 43,000 women in the United States will die from breast cancer in 2021 — but the overall death rate from breast cancer has decreased 1% per year from 2013 to 2018, as advances in treatment and screening continue to save lives.
Sponsored by the Trigg County Hospital, the Kentucky Department for Public Health, the Rogers Group, Herb Hayes Furniture & Mattress, Kopper & Daisy Boy & Girl Boutique, Pennyroyal Hospice, Tin Roof, Planters Bank, the Hopkinsville First United Methodist Church, Main Street Pharmacy, Hancock’s Neighborhood Market, Parker Eye Care, Save More Drugs, Home Place Mortgage, Magnolia, Goodwin Funeral Home, Todd’s Jewelry, Farmers Bank, Princeton Drug Store, Morgan’s Funeral Home, First Southern National Bank, Culligan, The Car Spa, The Princeton McDonald’s, Cozy Living, Caldwell Medical Center, Farless Realty, Jennie Stuart Health and the Pennyrile District Health Department.
