Breast Cancer Now’s Post

“I found a small lump under my armpit and didn’t realise this may be a sign of breast cancer. I’m currently undergoing chemotherapy and I took part in the wear it pink photoshoot halfway through my treatment. Post-chemotherapy, I’ll have surgery followed by radiotherapy. “Wear it pink is an upbeat and fun way of raising money for a good cause. I wanted to be involved in the wear it pink campaign to represent the South Asian community and break down the barriers around the disease. Often breast cancer is seen as a taboo in our community. However, that is changing slowly. “Also, my favourite colour is pink – having also worn this colour on my wedding day! “Breast cancer has impacted my life. I’m not able to plan things in the longer term, including my career, events, or holidays. But I’ve still tried to make the most of my good days by planning fun things with family and friends. This has really helped to manage my wellbeing. “One positive aspect of having cancer is that it’s given me the time to reset and reflect on what and who is really important in my life. I also feel more confident and empowered to take risks and I’ve set myself new challenges to take on when I recover.” - Anjna Anjna was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023. She wants to represent the South Asian community and break down barriers and stigma around the disease. Wear it pink like Anjna on Friday 18 October. Raise money and help fund life-changing breast cancer research and support. Sign up now! https://lnkd.in/e7cJzCQU

We’re looking for enthusiastic people to join our cheering team at the Great North Run in Newcastle on Sunday 8 September! It’s guaranteed to be a great day out. No experience needed - just enthusiasm, energy, and a loud voice! Sounds like you? Sign up now! https://lnkd.in/e6cCgBSd

Our researchers have uncovered how cancer cells can hijack a natural process called cell competition to help them grow and spread at the expense of healthy cells. Cell competition acts as a quality control mechanism in the body by removing suboptimal or potentially dangerous cells. These 'loser cells' donate their nutrients to the fitter 'winner cells' surrounding them, to make sure healthy tissues grow. Professor Pascal Meier, based at the Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research, found that cancer cells can hijack this process by forcing their neighbouring normal cells to donate their fuel. This allows the cancer cells to grow and spread. Pascal and his team hope that understanding this mechanism better will lead to new ways of treating the disease. https://lnkd.in/gkmTiQVf

We are proud to be part of We Are Undefeatable along with 14 other leading health and social care charities. Together, we’re helping to inspire the many people living with a long-term health condition to move more and show how small amounts of activity can be great for your physical and mental health. Learn more on https://lnkd.in/eKV2Y3E

Thank you Delyth Morgan for raising breast cancer treatments in the House of Lords on behalf of women living with HER2-low secondary breast cancer who have been denied the drug Enhertu. Nearly 300,000 people have added their name to our #EnhertuEmergency petition calling for this life-extending treatment to be made immediately available on the NHS. Together with MET UP UK and 13 women living with HER2-low secondary breast cancer, we’ve written to Wes Streeting asking him to urgently speak to NHS England, NICE, Astrazeneca, and Daiichi Sankyo to ensure a solution is found. You can still sign our petition on https://lnkd.in/ewkQQr9K

Thank you to every single one of you who made the Pink Ribbon Walks of 2024 so incredible. Whether you walked, fundraised, volunteered, or cheered, you have made such a huge impact on work being done for people affected by Breast Cancer. Did you take part this year? If so, which of our beautiful venues did you get to enjoy? Hampton Court Palace, Blenheim Palace, or Bakewell? Let us know in the comments 📢

Dr Sam Orange is helping to improve women’s access to diet and physical activity support after their breast cancer treatment. Leading a healthy lifestyle after a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment can help with long-lasting low mood or tiredness. And it could lower the risk of breast cancer coming back. But there’s little support available to help women with this. So, Sam’s creating a referral pathway so that healthcare professionals can refer women to community support services. If this project is successful, the researchers will carry out a larger study to measure if this programme leads to a better quality of life for women living with and beyond breast cancer. And it may also help to reduce their risk of a second breast cancer diagnosis. https://lnkd.in/e8N66pdG

Miriam Fearon was diagnosed with breast cancer at 26. She wants to channel her experience into something that can inspire and motivate other young women of colour who are also experiencing breast cancer. “Having unfortunately had negative experiences during my cancer journey, it's so important to me that I campaign for people like me, using my strength, voice and ability. I want to advocate for and uplift other young women so that their journeys can be better than mine. I hope their outcomes will be as positive as possible. “Before I was declared as having no evidence of disease (NED), I did fertility preservation surgery, 6 months of chemotherapy, and I had a mastectomy and lymph node removal. I then went on to have a reconstruction. “I struggled to find other young women who looked like me. I want to be that for the young women of colour who are experiencing breast cancer and looking for examples of women like them. It's so much easier to believe you can do something when you see someone like you doing it too. “I looked to communities like Black Women Rising UK and GIRLvsCANCER to find representation. I also relied heavily on Breast Cancer Now’s resources when it came to my recovery. I especially used them after surgery, because they were detailed and easy to follow even when I was really unwell. “It’s so important to wear it pink to raise funds and awareness. It's vital we all talk about what's normal, to make sure we know when something is wrong. Early detection is lifesaving.” - Miriam Join Miriam and wear it pink this October to help raise funds for life-changing breast cancer research and support. Sign up for your fundraising pack https://lnkd.in/e7cJzCQU

Dr Mel Cooper at University of Bradford is studying the barriers to breast cancer screening within the UK black African community. Black African women are less likely to go to their breast screening appointment, compared to other communities in the UK. We don’t know what stops black African women from going to their breast screening appointments. And we need to find ways to encourage more people to go. Mel’s research could help more black African women in the UK to go to their screening appointments. And that could lead to earlier diagnoses, and more chance of black African women surviving the disease. Find out more about Mel’s research https://lnkd.in/e-UQxb4s

Sign up this summer for Tour de Law. On the 9 and 10 October, we’re challenging law firms and chambers in London to take part in a static bike challenge to raise money for breast cancer research and support. When you sign up, we ask your team to raise a minimum of £5,000. Here’s what that £5,000 could do! Sign up now 👇 https://lnkd.in/e9sytE42