Campbell River firefighters are making a fashion statement to support the fight against breast cancer.
They are wearing pink in honour of Breast Cancer Awareness month.
Fire chief Thomas Doherty noted that for the seventh year in a row, firefighters are joining their colleagues throughout North America, wearing bright pink t-shirts to help raise awareness about breast cancer.
“Firefighters exposed to carcinogens and other chemicals while on the job are disproportionately diagnosed with breast cancer – just one of the many cancers linked to the work firefighters do,” he added.
Breast cancer continues to be the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Canadian women.
One in eight Canadian women affected by this disease during their lifetime.
According to the latest statistics from the Canadian Cancer Society, roughly 26,900 women and 230 men in Canada will be diagnosed with breast cancer and approximately 5,000 women, and 55 men will die from the disease in 2019.
“Wearing pink t-shirts in October is a way to demonstrate the Campbell River Fire Department’s motivation and commitment to raising awareness about the importance of breast cancer research as part of the fight for a cure,” Doherty said.
