The annual blast of pink that heralds Breast Cancer Awareness Month every October is arguably one of the most successful advocacy campaigns of its time.

Pink paraphernalia is everywhere this time of year. A recent Pink Me Up color toss at Flathead Valley Community College drew nearly 2,000 people earlier this month as a benefit for the Cancer Support Community. There’s no doubt the annual awareness campaign has elevated the focus on breast cancer to a new level.

The message about getting annual mammograms appears to have resonated with Flathead Valley residents. Last year Kalispell Regional Medical Center saw about 500 more women screened for breast cancer than the year before. One reason for the uptick likely is new technology in breast cancer detection that uses 3-D imaging, according to the mammalogy manager of the Health Center and Winkley Women’s Center.

Flathead residents also are fortunate to have a wide array of cancer health resources, including the Bass Breast Cancer Center at Kalispell Regional, Alpine Women’s Center in Whitefish, The Women’s Center at Health Center in Kalispell and many other resources.

Despite a wealth of resources and awareness, the statistics about breast cancer remain sobering. About one in eight women will develop invasive breast cancer during her lifetime, notes Breastcancer.org, a nonprofit dedicated to compiling breast cancer data. This year, an estimated 246,660 new cases are expected to be diagnosed in women in the United States, along with 61,000 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer.

Even more startling, 40,450 women in the U.S. are expected to die from breast cancer this year.

And let’s not forget it is not just women who get breast cancer. This year, about 2,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in men in the U.S. Roughly 400 of them will die. Like women, men are encouraged to do breast self-examinations.

Local hospitals, health clinics and support organizations are well-equipped to help with the diagnosis, treatment and continuing support. The outpouring of pink around the valley is more than an awareness campaign. It’s also a show of support and compassion for those battling the disease.