WHY ARE WE DOING THIS ?
Anna's Story
It was one of those typical Fridays in the lead up to Christmas with a 4pm emergency and a late discharge. I just managed to get to the pool for a swim before it closed.
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That’s when I saw a breast cancer awareness poster in the changing room (now identified as the wonderful work of Helen Addis & Check and Change Campaign). I hadn’t checked my breasts for a while and this reminded me to do it. I felt a lump in my left boob. I went to the doctor to get it checked, but wasn't expecting anything serious- I was young, healthy with no history of breast cancer in my family. Unfortunately, it was serious and 2 months later I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 33 and life turned upside-down.
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I keep thinking about what might have happened had I not felt the lump that day and how many people wouldn’t remember or even think to check themselves. It is possible that those few minutes checking and that poster may have saved my life.
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So that’s where the idea of a Vet Your Breasts sticker came from.
Is This You?
Everyone who works in or around the veterinary profession will know what an incredibly busy and fast-paced profession it is with very little time to pause. We are notoriously terrible at putting ourselves first. After talking to colleagues it became apparent that many never check their breasts at all. This has to change as early detection of breast cancer means you have a better chance of surviving it.
My Aim
My aim is to put up a poster in every veterinary changing room or bathroom in the UK to remind people to regularly check. A good time is when they change their scrub top.
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Throughout my treatment, working on this idea kept me going and with the help of many lovely friends and family the poster has become a reality.
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We are currently fundraising to take this idea forward and need your help to get the poster printed and out into veterinary practices.
The Stats
1 woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 10 minutes in the UK
1 in 8 women will get breast cancer in their life
Approximately 400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK
THE POSTER
On the left you can see a few of the first million drafts for the poster.
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Fortunately, the amazing illustrator Katherine Kannon agreed to help and the final product of these efforts is a beautiful poster! You can see the poster in the "campaign" section.
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If you want to see more of Katherine's amazing work you can find it here:
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