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October 27, 2022

A personal note on “Pink Awareness” from a Breast Cancer Survivor

A personal note on “Pink Awareness” from a Breast Cancer Survivor:

You might have seen a lot of “Pink” posts, activities, charity events etc. The Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Maybe you have been touched or are personally affected and reminded by this special month.

But what if not? I you have (luckily) never been in touch with that topic? I could also totally understand if the whole “awareness hype” is already annoying you. Nowadays there are all kinds of “Awareness Days / Month”.

So what is it that you should be aware of?

According to Breastcancernow.org, “around 55,000 women and 370 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK .”

That means “one in seven women in the UK will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. This Breast Cancer Awareness Month nearly 5,000 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer.”

Look around, take yourself and 6 of your closest female friends. Just the thought that one of you could be affected is terrible, isn’t it?! Well, I took one for the team!

The good news is: The survival rates are improving, treatments and therapies have developed so much over the past decades, so almost nine in ten women survive Breast Cancer for over 5 years and more IF the cancer is diagnosed early and treated!! That’s why the month of October is so important!

So ladies please: Save the TaTas! I would love to share some awareness with you:

Be aware of your health! -> It can happen to everyone! Don’t take your health for granted. Breast Cancer does not just occur over 60! I was diagnosed at 34. And if you think it won’t happen to you, just because no one in your family has ever had cancer – let me tell you – I was proved wrong on this one too.

Give yourself some TLC! -> Touch, Look, and Check on a regular basis. Detecting abnormalities early can save lives. At 34 a Mammogram was not part of my Health Check process. I was lucky enough, that I felt the lump myself. I was NOT at all expecting it to be malignant but still, I went to get checked up by my doctors. You can find a guide for self-exam here: https://breastcancernow.org/information-support/check-your-breasts/learn-signs-breast-cancer or here https://www.breastcancer.org/screening-testing/breast-self-exam-bse. Please also make sure that the Doctors take you seriously. If you feel that a Health Practitioner is taking it too easy, just because you might be too young or not predispositioned, be your own advocate and make sure you get cleared!

Be proactive! Keep your immune system strong and your emotions & hormones balanced! There is no answer to the “why”. The cause of breast cancer is multi-factorial. Lifestyle, Genes, Environment – all factors which play along. But very easily said: Cancer occurs when the body and its immune system are not able to eliminate mutated cells anymore. It doesn't mean that you can control the uncontrollable, but why not do what you can to prevent it as much as possible?

Strengthen your immune system with a healthy diet, limited alcohol, enough sleep, a healthy weight, physical activity, and a balanced stress level. As some kind of cancers are also hormone receptive there are some recommendations about your diet and also risk factors with birth control and menopause hormone therapies.

Next to diet and physical activity, it is crucial to work on your resilience and mindfulness to keep your emotions in check. Studies also have shown, that emotional stress should not be underestimated for the occurrence of breast cancer.

Our wide panel of experts can support you with implementing your healthy habits for prevention.