By ALIN HETT
Hays Post
The Pink Pumpkin Project is turning a fall tradition into a reminder that breast cancer affects women and men, and that early detection does make a difference.
The American Cancer Society estimates 321,910 women and 2,670 men in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2026. An estimated 42,670 people, including 530 men, will die from the disease. Those are national projections, not final counts. www.cancer.org
Breast cancer in men is uncommon, but it happens. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 1 in 100 breast cancer diagnoses in the United States is in a man. www.cdc.gov
The Pink Pumpkin Project brings together Kansas State University research and extension teams, the Cottonwood Extension District, master gardeners, conservation partners, HaysMed, the HaysMed Foundation and local businesses. Proceeds support the K-State Agricultural Research Center, the Cottonwood Extension District and the HaysMed Breast Care Center.
The project began after Brian Olson, head of the Western Kansas Research and Extension Centers at K-State, heard about pink pumpkins and saw a way to connect the idea with local families affected by breast cancer.
“We need to do something with pink pumpkins in our community,” Olson said. “We've had a number of folks that have had breast cancer that have worked for K-State or their spouses have had breast cancer, and so how can we marry those two together?”
About 24 people planted 3,500 seeds in early June. Since then, master gardeners and research center staff have helped care for the patch and manage pests.
Jay Harris, director of the Cottonwood Extension District, said the pumpkins can vary in color, from green to blue to pink. Harris said most pumpkins turn pink after they are picked and sit in the sun.
At the project’s launch, HaysMed nurse practitioner Denise DeBoer said breast cancer can be difficult to detect early without screening or attention to changes in the body. The American Cancer Society reports that women whose invasive breast cancer is diagnosed while still localized, before it has spread beyond the breast, have a five-year relative survival rate above 99%.
For cancer that has spread to distant parts of the body, the rate is 32%. These figures describe groups of patients and cannot predict an individual person’s outcome. www.cancer.org
“Our greatest tool is early detection,” DeBoer said.
She encouraged average-risk women to begin screening mammograms by age 40 and to talk with a health care provider about their individual needs. She also urged people to report changes such as a lump, skin dimpling or a nipple beginning to pull inward.
While the project focuses on breast cancer awareness, men should also seek medical advice if they notice breast or chest changes.
The project’s activities include pumpkin-picking events, participating businesses, social media promotion and stories from breast cancer survivors. Visitors can write the name of someone they want to honor or remember on a card that will be displayed near the patch.
HaysMed Foundation representative Jeffrey Brull said the project also responds to a challenge facing rural breast care: large grants that once supported the center are increasingly focused on metropolitan areas. He said local fundraisers and partnerships help the community support its own services.
HaysMed Marketing Director Leanna Swart encouraged community members to share the project’s posts. Swart shared that her mother, who died of breast cancer five years ago, would have loved the pink pumpkins.
Organizers hope to make the project an annual effort and are exploring whether pumpkins could eventually be genetically developed in different colors to support other causes, such as blue pumpkins for prostate cancer awareness and purple pumpkins for pancreatic cancer awareness.
Organizers said weather may affect event hours. Updates, an interactive map of participating businesses and a form for sharing a story of hope or survivorship are available through the HaysMed Foundation website.
The Pink Pumpkin Patch is open Oct. 1-11.
- Patch hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 5:30-7:30 p.m. and Sunday, 2-4 p.m.
- Downtown market: Saturdays, 7:30-11 a.m., at the Downtown Pavilion, east of 10th and Main streets.
- Prices: Large pumpkins are $10 each or three for $20. Small pumpkins are $5 each or three for $10.
Please use designated parking and entrances. Do not park along the highway. Updates and directions are available on the HaysMed Foundation website and the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.