October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

According to the American Cancer Society, there were 209,060 cases of breast cancer reported in the United States in 2010. In the same year, 40,230 people lost their lives battling this disease.

In Georgia, those numbers were 6,130 new cases with 340 deaths. The number of women (and a few men) who are able to overcome this disease is uplifiting and a triumph of the human will and spirit.

But the numbers are still too high.

We've all known somebody who had to fight cancer. Maybe it was a family member or a friend, a church member or a co-worker. Some of them have overcome their disease. Some did not.

The important thing to know is that there are things that can be done to fight breast cancer.

Routine breast examinations can help find cancerous growths early. The American Cancer society states that women who catch breast cancer in the early stages have more than an 80 percent five-year survival rate when they are treated early.

There are also many groups seeking to rid the world of this disease once and for all. The American Cancer Society, Relay for Life and the Susan G. Komen For The Cure Foundation are all excellent organizations that are raising money to try to combat cancer in everyone.

At the Rockdale News, we are proud to donate to the Kimberley Chance Atkins Foundation and to Rockdale Relay for Life for every new subscription during the month of October. We would like to encourage other businesses in the community to take similar actions, and we encourage Rockdale residents to donate to any reputable organizations to help fight breast cancer.

This week, we talked with breast cancer survivors and those who have been touch by breast cancer in their families, so look for the Oct. 1 editions on stands.

The News will feature stories and useful information about breast cancer during the month of October, so stay tuned.

Together, we can find a cure.