These breast cancer awareness months – every October – seem to roll around all too quick. Here we are, already October 2024. Those pink ribbons will be out in all their glory this month! I have, of course, taken a lot more notice of these months that highlight this stealthy disease, since my diagnosis in November 2017.
My breast cancer memoir, ‘Show Us Your Tits – Baring All and Beating Breast Cancer’ includes many important Australian statistics and facts, along with every step of my diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
How about you? Do you take notice of Pink October? Does it make you stop and think. Does it make you take action?
This annual awareness campaign is not only for women, but also men – as our blokes can of course, get breast cancer too. It is rare – only 0.5% of cases which equates to about 180 Australian men a year. Men need to not only be aware of Pink October for themselves, but aware for their female loved ones – wives, partners, mums, sisters, friends and colleagues. Men can raise the bar here and ask the 40+ women in their lives – ‘Are you up-to-date with your mammograms?’ And, more broadly, ask their female oved ones if they are checking for changes. Hubbies and partners can offer their practical assistance here! So, there are many perks to being a ‘breast health aware bloke.’😉
Pink Ribbon – Pink October - pink everything actually!
Awareness of breast cancer, although wide and encompassing – all wrapped up in those pink ribbons, is great and all. But as widespread as it is, there seems to be a shallowness to it, about as deep as a kiddie’s wading pool! In my opinion, a lot of the pink ribbon hype and marketing does little to really hit the important nails on the head.
It is all gloss, pomp, puff and propaganda. Breast cancer ends up coming across with some sort of glamorous appeal – wrapped up in fluffy hot pink ribbons. Believe me, there is NOTHING glamorous or appealing about breast cancer. Often there is no reality connected to the October messages. No rawness and honesty about what breast cancer treatment really entails. The depth of the BC shitshow does not seem to hit home.
Otherwise, why are so many Australian women still unaware, after 31 years, that mammography begins at 40? Why do we only have about a 55% regular attendance rate when we look at BreastScreen data across the country?
Too many heads are still in the sand! We are not doing enough to get women lining up for FREE screening.
Why don’t Australian women know that the age danger zone begins at 40 – with 20% of cases being diagnosed in this decade of age? Why are Aussie women still only looking for ‘lumps’ when breast cancer has 13 signs and symptoms? Why aren’t women aware that the main cause of breast cancer is hormonal – 75% of cases are fed by estrogen and progesterone and have nothing to do with genetics and family history. So they are all at risk.
Why aren’t we aware as a nation that 23 000 Australians will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and that 9 people die from breast cancer every day in this country.
Don’t get me wrong. Pink October does great things. The pink ribbon is iconic and everyone knows world-wide what it symbolises. It raises money through all sorts of events and campaigns. Important dollars are raised that go towards research, support, and funding for a better future for breast cancer survivors. Pink October reduces numbers diagnosed, and helps improve mortality rates. These are very important outcomes and reasons to have a PINK OCTOBER.
It is just that the important messages do not seem to get to those that need to hear them. Are we doing our best to impart the important knowledge and warnings? If we are, the messages seem to be falling on deaf ears.
I am curious as to why this is.
I remember thinking that breast cancer wouldn’t happen to me. I was so shocked to be diagnosed. So much so that I thought BreastScreen must have got it wrong! Instead of thinking ‘it won’t happen to me’ I should have been thinking, ‘why wouldn’t it happen to me?’. I’d love this sort of thinking to infiltrate across our population of women 40+.
Women have been eligible for FREE mammography from 40 for the last 31 years – since 1993. I wonder what results we’d get, if we surveyed women across the country. My bet would be, that way less than half of 40-something Australian women are aware of this fact.
From running the Can at 40. Do at 45 Campaign now for 6 years, I know there are a large contingent of women that are not only diagnosed between 40-49, but diagnosed with Stage III and Stage IV (metastatic/incurable) breast cancer. These women are diagnosed WITHOUT knowing that their eligibility for mammography began at 40. How might their stories have been different? What if they had of been notified and encouraged to attend mammography from 40?
So many more lives could be saved! So many mothers would still be here raising their kids.
I find the current state of affairs totally unacceptable.
It makes me SO mad!
Kudos for the reach of PINK OCTOBER – but let’s get real about the messaging behind it.
Comments