What you can do to join the fight against breast cancer

THE MISSION IS SIMPLE: STOP DEATHS FROM BREAST CANCER

One look at the National Breast Cancer Foundation website and you'll find all the statistics needed to understand the severity of breast cancer. 

• In Australia, every day, 8 women die from breast cancer. 3,000 lose their lives every year.
• Daily, 57 people are diagnosed, and incidents are increasing with 1 in 7 women, and 1 in 716 men being diagnosed.
• 80% of these cases occur in women over 50, although younger  women are not free of the risk.
• It is projected that 1000 women under 40 will be diagnosed within a year.

These numbers can make us feel powerless. With every diagnosis, it feels like we will never conquer this monster of a disease. 

But we believe there is hope. 

Here are 3 ways you can personally join the fight against breast cancer.

1. Be aware of symptoms

According to the NBCF website,  ‘Symptoms of breast cancer will depend on where the tumour is, the size of the tumour and how quickly it is growing in the breast’.

In a nutshell, detection is all about looking for changers.

In order to detect changes in our breasts, we  must first be aware of how our breasts look and feel normally. Notice changes in the size and shape of the breast, are there any lumps?

Is there crusting, sores or ulcers, redness, discharge or inversion of the nipple?Is there any dimpling, rashes or change of colour of the skin? Do you have pain that doesn't go away or swelling in the armpit?  

2. Have a Mammogram Screening

Breast cancer develops when cells within the breast grow abnormally and reproduce to form a tumour. The purpose of mammograms is to detect and examine tumours as early as possible because some people will not have any of the symptoms that we have stated above. For them mammograms are  the only way to detect breast cancer.

A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast, of which there are two kinds. A screening mammogram is done when the individual does not show any symptoms. It is useful in detecting lumps that are too small to feel. A diagnostic mammogram is used to examine symptoms and investigate suspicious results found on a screening mammogram.

Mammograms increase the survival rate by improving by early detection and treatment options. If you are a woman between the ages 50-74 years we strongly encourage you to take the time to have a free screening mammogram every two years. 

3. Consider supporting the NBCF financially

As a result of receiving no government funding, The National Breast Cancer Foundation relies on donations, fundraising and corporate partnerships.

After considering how we could play our part, we decided that fundraising fit us best. And thus,  ‘The Pink Collection’ was born. 

So far we have raised $4,700 for breast cancer research. This is a result that we are extremely proud of, and we are incredibly thankful to all our customers who have partnered with us by purchasing something beautiful from this collection.

However, we wanted to do more!

And so we put our heads together, dreamed up and launched our latest attempt to raise even more funds and awareness for breast cancer,  ‘The Brave Campaign'.

We hope after reading this post, you feel empowered to be on the front foot when it comes to fighting against breast cancer.