It was neat this week to drive past Lafayette Square and see it decorated with pink ribbons for the Paint the Town Pink/HOPE for a Day walk today.

When the square’s fountain water started pouring pink colors on Friday, it became even more obvious how serious LaGrange takes its Paint the Town Pink event Saturday.

According to the American Cancer Society’s website, there’s a 12 percent chance of a woman developing breast cancer in her lifetime.

Additionally, 237,000 women and 2,100 men are diagnosed with breast cancer yearly in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.

The survival rate for the cancer diagnosed at a more advanced stage is 24 percent and between 80 to 90 percent when diagnosed in an early stage, according to the World Cancer Research Fund International’s website. 

A breast cancer diagnosis — like any cancer diagnosis — seems grim, but death rates have dropped from 1989 to 2015. More than 3.1 million breast cancer survivors are living in the United States right now, according to the American Cancer Society.

At the Paint the Town Pink event today, WellStar West Georgia Medical Center will offer free clinical breast exams, mammogram vouchers for those who qualify, health screenings and women’s health information for women to partake in at Lafayette Square.

This is a great for local awareness and providing to the community.

Not only is this event for anyone who falls into one of the statistics above, but it is also for the community.

This 10-mile walk is for raising awareness, but also serves as a reminder that the fight against cancer is far from over.