Awareness

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

It's also:

Eye Injury Prevention Month
www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/injuries/index.cfm 

Home Eye Safety Month
www.preventblindness.org 

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
www.nbcam.org 

National Disability Employment Awareness Month
www.dol.gov/odep

National Medical Librarians Month
www.mlanet.org/resources/nml-month/index.html 

National Physical Therapy Month
www.moveforwardpt.com  

Spina Bifida Awareness Month
http://www.facebook.com/spina.bifida.learn

Stop America's Violence Everywhere (SAVE) Today
www.amaalliance.org 

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month
www.firstcandle.org  

Which seems like a lot to get behind in one short month.  This doesn't include the weekly observances or daily observances, such as Mental Health, Walk to School, Stuttering, Latino, World Food, etc. And when I look at the list, I'm for preventing/improving outcomes for all of these, even the juggernaut of Breast Cancer (see The Big Business of Breast Cancer for an interesting look at it).

The important thing about all these days no matter how random they may seem is that there's usually a person who has had their life changed through an eye injury, stuttering, breast cancer, a diagnosis of down syndrome, etc.  I've seen Plato's quote "Be Kind for Everyone You Meet is Fighting a Hard Battle" in various places lately, and this list of observances is a good reminder of how true it is.