Over the weekend, Pink Power took over a lakefront in northwest suburban Lake Zurich in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

They're spreading the word that dense breasts can hide cancer, and knowledge can save lives.

In Paulus Park, teams didn't just take pictures — they took part in a purpose.

The annual Paint the Lake Pink Walk set off under a balloon arch, with hundreds of families, survivors, and supporters stepping out together. Organized by My Density Matters, the goal was to educate women on how dense breast tissue can impact cancer screening.

The mission for many of the attendees was personal.

"The mammogram said that I had dense breast tissue. I followed up with an ultrasound, and they still said it was inconclusive. It wasn't until a year later that I was finally diagnosed, and by then I had four tumors," Ilana Fiorenza said. 

Dr. Barry Rosen, an advisor for My Density Matters, said one in eight women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. It's the number one cancer in women, and while mammograms are key, for nearly half of women with dense tissue, the test alone isn't enough

"The one that keeps me up at night is that dense breast tissue can mask a cancer on a mammogram," he said. "So, if you have dense breast tissue, regrettably, a mammogram will never be enough."

A local gym, Optimize, received a special award for bringing nearly 50 members to the walk. The win meant a lot to their team leader, who lost her mom to breast cancer.

"It's kind of like a emotional thing, I guess," Jenn said.

Endurance runner Jeff Jones walked with his team, but he's taking it much further — dedicating 640 miles of ultra marathons this year to My Density Matters.

"For me, the women in my life, whether it's my daughters, my wife, my friends, my colleagues, it's a really important cause, and you know,  if we can save a life that's fantastic," Jones said.

Mia's mammogram missed her cancer. She found a lump herself. Then pushed for more testing of her other breast.

"To my surprise, I had multiple tumors in my left breast. I advocated for myself by asking those questions, and somebody reminded me, they said, "Do you know you could've just had a lumpectomy and removed the one that you found and left the other ones there?" So, in essence, you may have just saved your life," she said.

As walkers reached the finish line, every step carried the same message — know your density and take charge of your health.

To learn more about dense breast tissue and testing options, visit mydensitymatters.org.