The White House glowed pink overnight to mark the start National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the United States.
“During October, we raise awareness and encourage people to take steps to reduce their risk of breast cancer,” First Lady Melania Trump said in a statement released by the administration Sunday.
“I encourage all women to talk to their health care providers about mammograms and other methods of early detection and what can be done to reduce that risk,” it quoted her as saying.
The White House said that more than 250,000 US women and 2,000 men would likely be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.
“To encourage women to take steps in detecting breast cancer early and to express solidarity with those who have been affected by the disease, the White House will be lit pink this evening,” the statement said.
First Lady Melania Trump later tweeted a photo of the illuminated White House portico taken from within the residence, saying: “In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month we lit the @WhiteHouse pink!”
“Oct is Natl Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Please talk to your doctor about early detection & reducing your risk. #BreastCancerAwareness,” Trump said in an earlier post.
The American Cancer Society says breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women in the United States.
On average, American women have a 1 in 8 chance of developing the disease, the society says, estimating that more than 40,000 women will die from breast cancer in 2017 alone.
The White House was first turned pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month on October 7, 2008. First Lady Laura Bush turned on the lights.
