A lot of colors for cancer

October is very "pink," due to the extraordinary efforts to promote Breast Cancer Awareness Month and life-saving annual mammograms. It seems like everyone is wearing a pink ribbon or t-shirt.

But the efforts to raise awareness and funding to fight various other cancers is a year-round project.

November, for example, is "pearl," for Lung Cancer Awareness Month, which for the editor of this paper is the most important month because he's been a victim of that form of the disease. But it's also the month to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer (purple), stomach cancer (light blue), carcinoid cancer (black and white stripes) and it's also Caregivers Month (maroon), honoring those who take care of cancer victims, from medical personnel to family.

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month (blue). February is National Cancer Prevention Month and Gallblader and Bile Duct Cancer Awareness Month (green). March is dedicated to colorectal cancer (dark blue), kidney cancer (orange) and multiple myeloma (rust red). April is for testicular (light purple), esophageal (light blue) and head and neck (red) cancer awareness. May is set aside for melanoma and skin cancer (black) and brain cancer (grey) awareness, June is Cancer Survivor Month (purple), July is an awareness month for sarcoma (yellow) and bladder (pink, green and purple) cancers, and September is a full slate to raise awareness for childhood (rose), gynecological (light pink), leukemia/lymphoma (light orange), ovarian (light green), prostate (dark blue) and thyroid (blue) cancers, bringing us back to October, which beside breast cancer (pink) is also Liver Cancer (dark green) Awareness Month.

One in three people will get a cancer. Today, many are curable if caught in time. But the diagnosis is devastating. In this small office alone, staff or immediate family members have dealt with lung, prostate, bone and blood/lymph system cancers.

New advances are being made every day in the fight against cancer, but it is expensive. To help out, contact the American Cancer Society. They do good work on behalf of researchers, victims and their families. It's a donation that can save lives.

-- Kelly Everitt