Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

With a tray of pink ribbon attached to her walker, Virginia Loveland is a visible reminder around town that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Loveland doesn’t need to be reminded because every day she is prayerfully thankful that she is a breast cancer survivor. But, if she had waited another month to have a mammogram, she might not be a breast cancer survivor.

“‘I am a breast cancer survivor,’ are the words that everyone woman, who is diagnosed with breast cancer, prays to hear,” Loveland said. “Mammograms save lives. It only takes a short time to go in for mammogram. But, I often hear women say, ‘I don’t have time.’ And, what I say back to them is, ‘Well, do you have time to go for radiation treatments or chemotherapy? Do you have time for a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery? Do you have time for follow-up appointments?’ And, my hope, my prayer is that they will decide that maybe they do have time for a mammogram after all.”

During October, Loveland makes and gives away small pink ribbons pins, most of them held together with a tiny gold cross. Each cross is worn as a reminder that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

“Maybe that pink ribbon reminder will be a life-saver for someone,” she said. “Every day, I thank God for another day to spend with my family and friends. For a little more time.”

On average, every two minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States and, this year, an estimated 42,170 women will die from breast cancer.

The up side is that there are more than 3.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

“Don’t you think you have time?” Loveland said.