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Throughout October, Heidelberg Castle and Starkenburg Castle in Heppenheim will be illuminated in bright pink. The illumination is part of the Pinktober initiative launched by Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD), NCT Heidelberg, and the Bergstraße Breast Center (BZB) at Kreiskrankenhaus Bergstraße, for which Queen Silvia of Sweden has assumed symbolic patronage.

The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of the importance of early breast cancer detection, show solidarity with those affected, and send a strong message of education, hope, and support.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women – one in eight women will develop it during their lifetime. About one percent of all new breast cancer cases affect men. If the disease is detected early, the chances of recovery are very good. The bright pink color is therefore more than just a color: it is a visible signal of commitment, confidence, and joint action.

Pinktober is accompanied by numerous activities: information events, a benefit concert, creative school projects, and sporting highlights such as the home game of the MLP Academics Heidelberg on October 25, 2025, in special pink jerseys, which will be auctioned off afterwards. The event program can be found below.

The donations collected as part of the campaign will go towards projects that empower, relieve, and support those affected and their families. The focus is on services that empower those affected, relieve families, and better prepare professionals for the special needs of dealing with breast cancer:

• the Brustkrebs-Lotsen (Breast Cancer Pilots) project at NCT Heidelberg, which accompanies patients individually through the various phases of therapy,
• the Pink Café at Heidelberg University Hospital – a safe space for exchange, support, and information,
• EmpowerCare: educational videos for breast cancer patients that provide confidence and self-determination in dealing with therapy and noticeably improve the quality of life of those affected,
• and the therapeutic children's group at the Bergstraße Breast Center (BZB), which provides sensitive support to the children of breast cancer patients.

The donations help to further expand these valuable services and secure them in the long term.

All event dates, information on donation projects, and ways to support the campaign can be found on the campaign website www.pink-gegen-krebs.de

Program overview

September 24 – October 31, 2025
Exhibition “Let Your Scars Shine”
buusenkollektivs with pictures by photographer Chap Chaplin at the Bergstraße District Hospital:
Kreiskrankenhaus Bergstraße, 1st floor, Viernheimer Str. 2, Heppenheim

Wednesday, October 8, 7 p.m.
Charity concert “Strong Voices for Strong Women”
Jazz choir Mixingers, Duo Rutz, New Harmonists Heppenheim
Kurfürstensaal, Amtsgasse 5, Heppenheim

Thursday, October 16, 7 p.m.
Medicine in the Evening: “PINKTOBER – Together Against Breast Cancer! Opportunities and Challenges”
Information events for patients, relatives, and interested parties
Prof. Dr. Andreas Schneeweiss, Head of Gynecological Oncology, NCT Heidelberg, UKHD, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)
PD Dr. Laura Michel, Attending Physician, Medical Oncology, NCT Heidelberg, UKHD
Lecture hall of the Kopfklinik (Head Clinic), Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, Heidelberg

Saturday, October 18, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Breast Cancer Patient Day
Prof. Dr. Oliver Zivanovic, Medical Director, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UKHD
Dr. Andrea Lemke, Heidelberg Breast Center at the University Women's Hospital, UKHD
Universitätsfrauenklinik Heidelberg (University Women's Hospital), Im Neuenheimer Feld 440, Heidelberg

Tuesday, October 21, 5 p.m.
“Focus on women: Breast health and other secrets of the female body”
Dr. Cordula Müller, Chief Physician at the Frauenklinik Kreiskrankenhaus Bergstraße and Head of the Bergstraße Breast Center
Kurfürstensaal, Amtsgasse 5, Heppenheim

Saturday, October 25, 2025, 8 p.m.
Pinktober basketball game: MLP Academics vs. Fitness First Baskets Würzburg
SNP dome, Carl-Friedrich-Gauß-Ring 16, Heidelberg