Breast Cancer is nothing new to humans since it was discovered more than 3,500 years ago by the Greeks. They believed the condition was caused by a black bile increase. One of the descriptions refers to bulging tumors of the breast that had no cure; if untreated the tumor burst and let out black liquid. They then named the cancer “karkinos”, meaning “crab,” because the tumors seemed to have the legs of a crab.

Since then we have created treatment and mammograms to help detect cancer at an earlier rate.

Many know October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Waverly celebrates the month  with swarms of pink at sports games and many other activities. Students and adults alike wear the fashionable “I heart boobies” (Keep A Breast) bracelets to also support the breast cancer foundation every day of the week.

“I think the bracelets are cute,” secretary Lori Dauel said.

Our school is a big supporter of breast cancer awareness by telling the community of our pink out nights for softball, volleyball , and varsity and freshmen football games. Staff members also paid to wear jeans for breast cancer proceeds, while wearing the pink shirts the cheerleaders sold.

In California, school officials decided to ban the boobies bracelets because it violates dress code with a lewd and provocative saying. When students refuse to take off the bracelets, administration take the act of suspending the student, making several people mad because this violates their freedom of speech.

California has planned to take this subject to the Supreme Court.

“There is a lot worse things that kids can do, than wear the bracelets creating awareness,” Dauel remarked.

Even though the bracelets are on the edge of what some call disgusting, many people are missing the big picture; by buying a “Keep A Breast” bracelet people are directly funding the Keep A Breast Foundation (KAB) and indirectly helping many women across the country.

“I understand where they are coming from, but I don’t exactly agree with them,” freshman Hunter Radenslaben remarked.

 KAB has started a movement raising millions of dollars to increase activities to educate people and create awareness around the world.

Students and staff were hit hard by the subject of breast cancer, when former secretary Kim Kleinbeck was diagnosed this past summer. Kleinbeck is currently battling breast cancer and nobody knows what to expect.

Freshmen year is a hard year for many with new school, different teachers and upperclassmen they don’t know. Hunter Radenslaben had a harder than average transition into high school when his mother passed away just two weeks before his freshman year started.

Taina Radenslaben was first diagnosed with hodgkins cancer the fall before her freshman year, at the age of 15. This type of cancer starts in the immune system. She went through radiation and chemotherapy, eventually winning the battle. On Hunter’s tenth birthday, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, which wasn’t the first time; she had a total of four diagnoses. She never used cancer as an excuse, always sitting at school events and sports activities, never showing how sick she was.

“Her being so strong, I really admired that,” Radenslaben proclaimed.

Her medication was really strong and started her liver to fail. Once that started to happen, her skin turned a yellowish color. Eventually, she started to get weaker and weaker to the point where she needed help sitting up.

“We tried making things easier for her,” Radenslaben stated.

They finally got her to the hospital, even though she didn’t want to; she was thinking of financial reasons while the family thought of her health. If only they knew that the next day would be filled with grief.

Taina lost her battle to breast cancer at the age of 41, one of millions to die of the horrific cancer.

Lewd or not, breast cancer awareness is important subject.