Editors' Note

Every story about breast cancer awareness is riddled with stats—our own included. Like how one in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Or how, every two minutes, a woman in the U.S. hears the words, "You have breast cancer."

But this October, as we observe National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we'd like to shine a spotlight on a whole new set of figures. Did you know, for instance, that early stage breast cancer is 95% curable today? Or that almost half of the women who are survivors today would not be 20 years ago? In the U.S. that's 3.5 million people thriving after a breast cancer diagnosis. Pretty soon, doctors will be able to detect breast cancer from a mere blood draw. To pull a phrase from Kinga Lampert, co-chair of the Breast Cancer Research Fund and our #VBGivesBack woman of the month, the message we want to put out there is one of hope.

That's why we're celebrating the cause with this special issue of VB Edit—our first ever. And, yes, we're using the word "celebrating" because we're feting all the incredible advancements made, and all the inspiring women thrivers who are here today because of them.

Women like Lampert, who follows in the great Evelyn Lauder's footsteps in leading the BCRF. Or Elle editor-in-chief Nina Garcia, who opens up to us about having a preventative double mastectomy. Or Alejandra Campoverdi, who watched one family member after another become afflicted with breast cancer—and went on to launch the Well Woman Coalition. Or Libby Haan, who started a line of tops with built-in shelf bras after her own post-mastectomy experience. "I love the way you know cancer is a signpost on the road of your life," she writes in a letter to herself. "It will remain there, but further and further out of view with every passing day."

As mothers, daughters, sisters and friends, breast cancer awareness is a subject close to both of us—and we're not stopping with this VB Edit issue either. In addition to donating $10 from every veronicabeard.com purchase this month to BCRF, we've named October 22 #VBGivesBack Day across all our boutiques nationwide and will give an extra 10% from the day's total in-store sales to the nonprofit, the largest funder of breast cancer research. Plus, we'll be holding a series of events hosted by an extraordinary circle of women, all breast cancer champions, including some of the above. Get all the details—and find an event near you—in our VB Agenda here.

Whether you know someone with breast cancer or have been diagnosed yourself, remember, you are not alone.

Veronica Swanson Beard, left, wearing the Cedar turtleneck, the Timber dickey jacket and Beverly high-rise cargo flares, and Veronica Miele Beard, in the Sandra tank, Lawrence dickey jacket with the Brando dickey, Elsy belt and Kate high-rise side-slit skinny jeans