Over the last week we have spent time dedicating our posts to Breast Cancer Awareness and utilising our platform in what we hope has been an effective way to help understand the mental and emotional toll, a breast cancer diagnosis can take on you and those around you.
According to Cancer Research UK there are 56,822 new cases of breast cancer each year, 2017- 2019 average, UK. So, ensuring you are getting involved with those self-examination, going for your mammograms and supporting one an another may help.
As anyone can get Breast Cancer, it is important to advocate for this disease as it plays an important role in awareness, education, early detection and support for those who have survived the disease and currently on their breast cancer journey.
By getting involved in campaigns such as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we hope to increase attention and heighten awareness on the cancer that is the most common in UK females, accounting for almost a third (30%) of all female cases (2017-2019).
One of the key messages in raising awareness is to encourage of self- examinations and regular screenings, which can lead to earlier detection when treatment is most effective.
There would be no advocacy without survivors:
Early detection of breast cancer can change outcomes of the disease for the better. Advocacy efforts stress the importance of going for a mammogram every 3 years and looking for the signs before you are invited for your screenings. Early- stage breast is often more treatable, and survival rates are more promising. Advocating for breast cancer helps spread this message and encourages everyone to take preventable measures.
Breast cancer advocacy helps to also provide support in different ways such as emotional, mental, and financial to support those battling the disease as well as their families, this is important to us to care and provide those essential resources to everyone in our community and wider community.
There are many ideas, stigmas, and misconceptions around breast cancer regarding men’s breast cancer and taboos about discussing the disease. Advocating and promoting being considerate around breast cancer symptoms may reduce worries, encourage conversations with loved ones or a visit to the GP and get a better understanding of the risks and realties of breast cancer.
One of the most powerful ways to advocate is from listening to survivors themselves sharing their own story about their journey. Hearing advice and tips from someone that has gone through their breast cancer journey from the beginning of diagnosis, during and after treatment can be very impactful and promising to hear to someone that is on their journey at present time.
Giving a voice to survivors can play a crucial role in advocacy efforts by raising awareness and encouraging others to go for their breast screening and perform a self-examination. The organisations listed in the further information section below have survivors’ stories to read, which we would highly encourage you to visit and read.
Our own fundraising efforts:
For the past three years Premier Community have gotten involved with Wear it pink day and raised money and awareness for the charity of Breast Cancer Now. Each year we dedicated the day to breast cancer and encourage everyone in our community to get involved in some way. Whether this be wearing it pink for the day or donating and contributing to our tombola at HQ.
As our campaign comes to an end, we want to emphasise to not only check your breasts this month because October is the month for Breast Cancer Awareness month, but every month. We hope at least one of our blogs or social posts has resonated with at least one person and shined a light on the importance about this life-threatening disease.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that got involved this month by donating money and items to the tombola that took place at Head office earlier today. We would also like to acknowledge everyone’s Wear It Pink efforts today across the entire community, spreading awareness and exhibiting our values excellently. Keep an eye out across our social pages over the upcoming week to see how much we raised for Breast Cancer Awareness!
Further information:
Organisations such as Breast Cancer Now are dedicated in giving support for everyone affected by breast cancer. They are made up from researchers, nurses, expert staff, campaigners, volunteers and fundraisers all collectively working together to support, fight and ensure there is change.
This amazing organisation are responsible for organising Wear It Pink Day one of the biggest fundraising events in the UK. To read more on what Breast Cancer Now has to offer and their resources visit the link to read more about them. You could also contribute a donation towards their organisation when you visit their page to show your support towards the organisation. https://breastcancernow.org/
Another charity that shows their support for the disease are Cancer Research UK fund scientists, doctors and nurses to help beat cancer sooner. As well as providing cancer information to the public, leading to breakthroughs in understanding the disease and improving treatment options. Through advocacy, these critical funding streams may not be as strong. To read more about Cancer Research UK efforts click the click to see what else they do in support of the disease and consider a small donation whilst you’re there. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/
