Puerto Rico Rolls Out 34 Marches and the "I Want You In My Future" Campaign Against Breast Cancer

October arrived in Puerto Rico with pink shirts, 34 marches scheduled across the island, and a campaign asking every family to do one specific thing this week: talk to mom, a sister, a partner, or a friend about getting a mammogram. The American Cancer Society of Puerto Rico (SACC PR) launched the initiative "Te quiero en mi futuro" ("I want you in my future") on September 21 to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this week municipalities like Fajardo already joined in with "Dress in Pink" activities among their staff ¹².

Context

The campaign is not an isolated symbolic gesture. It is built on hard numbers from the Central Cancer Registry of Puerto Rico, which SACC PR cites directly: between 2018 and 2022, breast cancer accounted for 31 percent of all cancers diagnosed in women on the island, averaging 2,410 invasive diagnoses a year ¹. That means one in every three cancers detected in a Puerto Rican woman during that period was breast cancer. SACC PR's chief executive, Lillian Santos, explained the campaign's logic in written remarks: "When we tell someone 'I want you in my future,' we are expressing everything we still want to live and share alongside them... A timely conversation can be the first step toward early detection" ¹. Breast cancer survivor and caregiver Wanda Gisela is this year's godmother for the campaign, joined by spokespeople Yan Ruiz and Laihany Pontón ¹. And on Thursday, October 3, the municipality of Fajardo showed the initiative is already spreading locally: municipal employees dressed in pink under the slogan "Te quiero en mi futuro" to reinforce the importance of timely diagnosis among workers and residents ².

The numbers

• 31%: share of all cancers diagnosed in women in Puerto Rico between 2018 and 2022 that were breast cancer ¹.
• 2,410: average number of invasive breast cancer diagnoses per year during that period ¹.
• 34: marches scheduled around the island as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month ¹.
• 100%: share of proceeds from the official 2026 campaign shirt (sold at Me Salvé stores) that stays in Puerto Rico to fund patient, survivor, and caregiver programs ¹.
• Every year starting at age 45, with the option to start at 40, is the American Cancer Society's standard mammogram recommendation for average-risk women; starting at 55, women can switch to every other year if their health allows ³.

What it means for you

If you have a mother, sister, partner, or friend who hasn't had a mammogram this year, this campaign was literally designed to give you the excuse to have that conversation now, during October, when more activities, information, and support are available than any other month. Early detection changes outcomes: breast cancer caught before it spreads has far higher survival rates than cancer diagnosed at advanced stages. On top of that, under federal preventive-care rules that apply to most health plans, screening tests like mammograms must be covered at no additional cost when done with an in-network provider ⁴, which removes one of the most common excuses for putting it off. If you live or work in a municipality, it's worth asking whether your local government has or is planning a "Dress in Pink" activity like Fajardo's, since those events often come with information about where to get screened close to home ².

How to act / Checklist

1. If you're 40 or older, call your primary doctor or health plan this week to schedule or confirm your annual mammogram; specifically ask whether the screening is covered with no copay as preventive care ³⁴.
2. If you're between 45 and 54, the recommendation is an annual mammogram; if you're 55 or older, you may be able to switch to every other year if you're in good health, but confirm that with your doctor based on your own history ³.
3. Call that person in your life today — mom, sister, partner, friend — and ask directly when her last mammogram was; that is literally the central action of the "Te quiero en mi futuro" campaign ¹.
4. Check whether your municipality has awareness activities this month similar to Fajardo's; these are usually announced on the mayor's office or municipal Facebook pages ².
5. If you want to directly support Puerto Rico-based patient and survivor programs, the official campaign shirt is available at Me Salvé stores, and 100 percent of proceeds stay on the island ¹.
6. For general information on breast cancer, risk factors, and how to prepare for a mammogram, the American Cancer Society's national helpline (1-800-227-2345) offers 24-hour assistance in Spanish ³.

What's next

SACC PR's 34 marches will keep rolling out across different towns throughout October, and more municipalities are likely to follow Fajardo's lead with their own "Dress in Pink" activities as the month continues ¹². The campaign is also a reminder that data from the Central Cancer Registry of Puerto Rico will keep being updated, and SACC PR has signaled that its longer-term goal is for the mammogram conversation to become normalized within Puerto Rican families, not just during October, but as part of every woman's annual health routine on the island.