Gov. Mike Parson presented a proclamation Thursday morning commemorating October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
He and other speakers gathered in his Capitol office to raise awareness for and talk about the importance of increasing breast cancer education and to promote regular cancer screenings.
As part of the event, the Missouri Capitol dome was to glow pink from sunset Thursday until sunrise today. The dome was painted with pink light in honor of the beginning of National Mammography Day, recognized annually on the third Friday of October.
"We honor and support our survivors, those battling the disease, and our medical professionals and researchers who are working to find a cure," Parson said in a news release. "We can save lives together."
Emily Kalmer, Missouri government relations director at American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said during the ceremony that 5,000 Missourians each year are told they have breast cancer, according to the news release from the Governor's Office. That's in addition to the thousands more who are going through treatment or waiting to see if the disease will recur.
The American Cancer Society appreciates the effort to raise awareness of the disease and the importance of early diagnosis, she said.