Unbelievable as it may seem, October is upon us, and that means it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month started in 1985, and since then the color pink and pink ribbons have become ubiquitous in October as breast cancer charities promote awareness, education, research and early detection.

Suffolk has a slightly higher rate of breast cancer diagnosis than the state as a whole. In Suffolk from 2006 to 2015, the age-adjusted rate of breast cancer diagnoses was 136.6 per 100,000 population. That’s more than the statewide rate of 127 for the same time period.

So, while the cause of breast cancer awareness has come a long way since 1985, there’s still a long way to go. More women need to be educated about how to do their self-checks and how often they need to have a mammogram based on their age and risk factors. More women need to know about the risk factors they can control, such as obesity, smoking and excessive alcohol drinking. More help is needed for folks whose low income or lack of transportation form a barrier to them receiving regular screening or care. And more awareness is needed for men, who also can suffer from breast cancer.

To promote this cause, the Suffolk News-Herald will publish a special section to honor breast cancer survivors.

If you are a survivor and would like to be honored, or if you know a survivor who would like to be honored, we want to publish those pictures and commemorate the remarkable achievement of hope, strength, faith and fortitude it takes to be a cancer survivor.

Please send in the survivor’s picture, their name and the number of years they have been a survivor to news@suffolknewsherald.com by Oct. 15. This special section will publish on Oct. 20.

Call 934-9609 for more information.