October is special for Mary Bailey, assistant project manager/permit coordinator for Professional Building Systems.

It’s Breast Cancer Awareness month, and once again she‘ll sport a pink ribbon in honor of her mother, a breast cancer survivor.

Bailey became interested in breast cancer awareness in 1994 after watching her mother fight the disease. Her mom had to go through invasive surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

“Breast cancer runs in my family. My grandfather had 10 sisters and they all died from breast cancer. My grandfather died of colon cancer, which is genetically linked to breast cancer,” Bailey said. “I know how close to home the disease can hit. I was determined to learn how I could help educate myself and others about prevention and treatment. That is why I wear my pink ribbon.”

She has also been a long-time supporter of the Susan G. Koman Foundation, a national movement launched in 1982 to find a cure for breast cancer.