It’s no secret, October is for pink.
For nearly 40 years, October has been dubbed Breast Cancer Awareness Month, with the iconic pink ribbon symbolizing one of the most successful awareness campaigns since 1991.
Here at the Cassville Democrat, we lean into the issue heavily, offering at least one breast cancer related story each week and altering our design to honor those alive and lost who have been stricken with the disease.
About 1-in-3 new cancer diagnoses in women are breast cancer, the most common cancer among women in the United States except for skin cancers. This year, the American Cancer Society estimated about 310,720 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women, about 56,500 new cases of ductal carcinoma in situ will be diagnosed, and about 42,250 women will die from breast cancer.
Overall, the average risk of a woman in the United States developing breast cancer is about 1-in-8, or 13%.
Locally, we have been writing feature stories on women fighting breast cancer or in remission, or spoke to their loved ones after they passed, for more than a decade.
My wife and General Manager of the Democrat, Jordan Troutman, spearheads this effort every year with the appropriate gusto.
We have four features on women fighting cancer this October, all of whom are involved with Power of Pink, which is entering its 15th year of fundraising for women battling the disease.
As I type this column right now, Jordan is interviewing one of the women. In their own ways, each one is harrowing.
The piece in print this week, the story of Twyla McInturff, brought strong feelings in our office last week. Twyla spent years trying to convince her doctors something was amiss, only for her fears to be realized and her doctor admonishing her that the issue should have been remedied five years prior — the whole time she had been bringing it up.
It takes an incredible amount of mental and physical strength to deal with a cancer diagnosis. To hear how a battle with doctors made battling the diagnosis worse was incredibly disheartening. It’s a story that needs told for more than one reason, and it hit home for us personally.
Neither Jordan or I have a family history of breast cancer, but when it comes to doctors, it is an all-too-common experience for women’s reported symptoms to be ignored or misunderstood.
Jordan has suffered most of her life with chronic back pain. I’ve seen her go to multiple doctors searching for solutions, only to be treated as pill-seeking or embellishing her pain.
It got to the point I was making a push to go with her to appointments. It’s sad and slimy to say, but I hoped my presence would give her a stronger credibility.
Recently, without expecting it, Jordan got an answer. Turns out her back pain has been caused by a congenital condition affecting her right kidney, which we learned had also led to other recurring health issues that did not seem to have an explanation.
I was too under deadline to go with her to that appointment, but I can tell you the relief and joy in her voice to finally have an answer for years of pain was overwhelming.
Through our feature stories over the years, I’ve heard how a breast cancer diagnosis can be a relief in a sense, an answer to the acute health issues the women were facing. However, the long road to remission is undoubtedly fraught with challenges.
So many women struggle with the feeling they’ve lost themselves. Whether it’s hair loss, a mastectomy or a required change in lifestyle, it’s hard to be themselves in the face of change.
Yet, it’s from these stories we draw our inspiration. The strength exhibited through these times is something we hope to share to inspire others, not only those who are going through a diagnosis, but also those who aren’t.
We also hope to help in more ways than the message. Under Troutman Media LLC ownership, the Cassville Democrat is again pledging 10% of all October ad sales to Power of Pink. It’s a meager amount we humbly hope will provide an abundance of benefit to women in our area battling such a prevalent disease.
We also humbly hope our coverage inspires you. If you can make a donation to Power of Pink, do it! The security it provides the Pink Ladies is greatly appreciated every year, and we hope the 15th year for the organization is its absolute best.
Kyle Troutman has served as editor of the Cassville Democrat since 2014 and owner/publisher since 2023. He was named William E. James/Missouri Outstanding Young Journalist for daily newspapers in 2017, and he is a two-time ISWNE Golden Dozen award winner. He may be reached at 417-847 2610 or ktroutman@cassville- democrat.com.
