It’s October 31, and we all know what that means ….

Yes, it’s Halloween.  But it’s also the last day of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  And it’s probably the most important day of the whole month.  From October 1 – 30, every media outlet, store front, and sports team lives and breathes the breast cancer theme.  But come today, October 31, the holiday season kicks in and we forget about the previous 30 day barage of information.

There is a group of courageous women in Gilbert, AZ, however, who aim to make that story have a different ending.  The Gilbert High School cheerleaders are raising money for breast cancer research by selling tee-shirts with the slogan, “Feel for lumps; save your bumps.”  Thus far, they have collected more than $5,000.  Sadly, the story is not yet heading toward happily ever after.

Members of the school administration feel the shirts are in poor taste.  Some in the community agree, including the president of Family Watch, who stated that the slogan “is unacceptably suggestive.”  The goal of Family Watch is “to protect the institution of family as the fundamental unit of society.”

So I guess we protect the family by ignoring that mothers are women … with breasts … that sometimes harbor cancerous cells.  Now if I hadn’t felt for lumps 7 months ago, I’d be in a very different spot right now.  Probably not dead yet, but with a very poor pronosis.

I did my part – I bought a $15 tee shirt and plan to wear it a lot to remind women (and the men who love them) that breast cancer awareness isn’t just a month.  I challenge you to do the same.  Read more about the cheerleaders and their very courageous booster club president at http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/medical/breastcancer/story/2011-10-26/Ariz-cheerleaders-breast-cancer-T-shirt-splits-community/50927602/1.