Six letters can stop any of us in our tracks and change our lives forever — c-a-n-c-e-r.

The diagnosis of cancer is one that hundreds of thousands of Americans receive each year.

This month the nation focuses on breast cancer awareness with a special designation and lots of pink events.

Across the Miss-Lou, the area has been covered with pink, from Merit Health Natchez’s event on Friday to Cathedral football’s pink wave game Friday.

The great attention and focus are fitting and needed.

National statistics show approximately 1 in 8 women will develop invasive breast cancer during their lives.

This year, more than one-quarter million new breast cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in the U.S.

That’s a staggering statistic that shows the potential impact of this frighteningly bad, but increasingly less deadly disease.

Vast improvements in early detection and treatment have greatly reduced the rates of deaths connected to breast cancer.

Yet more can be done.

Local efforts to both raise awareness and raise funds are helpful — and needed.

On the local level one concern some women face is the ability to pay for screening tests.

Several nonprofit groups have recognized this and are taking on the challenge of helping provide funding for individuals without the means to obtain tests.

We applaud those efforts and continue to be amazed and thankful for the generosity of people in the community who are helping make a difference in the lives of others by either giving money or their time to help.

Together, we can continue to improve our knowledge and treatment options for breast cancer, one day and one dollar at a time.