Share Love Hope & Pizza for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

 

Last year during Breast Cancer Awareness Month we were taking part in a fundraiser at Elsie’s dance class when she said: “But Mom, I thought only chickens have breasts?” Oh dear… the biology lesson commenced shortly after class and we had a good chat about boobs, cancer and the purpose of fundraising.

It dawned on me at this point, that Breast Cancer Awareness Month is about more than fundraising, it’s also education. Every one of us can take the time to talk openly about breast cancer and be a warrior for the cause in our own way, whether it be a celebrity interview on TV, or a just girl chat over coffee.

I’m doing just that today by spreading the word about Breast Cancer Awareness Month to you guys. I’m also giving a shout out to Hungry Howie’s #LoveHopePizza competition and their contribution to the National Breast Cancer Foundation for the month of October.

We All Need A Reminder About Breast Cancer

I don’t want to bombard you with statistics and horror stories, in my opinion, that is not what awareness is all about. I would like to be a warrior for the cause by reminding you to self-check your breasts and go for regular mammograms from the age of 40. I personally don’t have a history of breast cancer in my family, but even if you don’t, regular checks are still important…

We had no history of breast cancer in my family but my aunt went in for her first mammogram at 55 years old and they found a small lump.  She did have to go through treatment for about a year and breast surgery but since they caught it so early she is fully in remission and has had no issues.  (Mom friend Abbey)

Although a family history does increase your chances, most women diagnosed with breast cancer have not had a close relative suffer from the disease. If you do have a family history of breast cancer, your doctor may advise starting regular mammograms earlier than 40. These tests are important because they can detect irregularities before a lump has even emerged…

My mother is a survivor, she didn’t have a lump. She had a thickening… never would have noticed it without a scan. (Mom friend Kate)

I have had irregular cancer-prone cells removed from my Cervix in the past, and therefore I have to go for PAP smear testing more than most women. The doctor does a breast check while she’s at it and I always think… when was the last time I checked myself? Eek… I’m terrible! You should be checking yourself once a month for lumps, irregularities in shape, swelling, dimpling of the skin or changes in the nipple.

My MIL is a survivor after a self check revealed a small, hard lump that was surgically-resected! It’s been more a bump in the road than a mountain, thankfully! (Mom friend Natalie)

Regular self-checks can make the difference between catching cancer early or late… breast tissue is relatively easy to remove, but once cancer has spread elsewhere it’s a different story. The National Breast Cancer Foundation explains how to perform a breast self-exam here.

What is Breast Cancer Awareness Month?

Breast Cancer Awareness Month has been running since 1985 to educate women about the disease and early detection. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women and every October we are all given an extra reminder to check those boobs. Many individuals, organizations, and corporations organize events to educate and raise money, and you often see people wearing pink while they do it.

I certainly feel like we are more aware of breast cancer than we used to be, and a lot of this eduction is the result of people talking publicly and openly about their experiences while being proactive in showing their support to organizations like the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF). In 2016, this charity spent $10m on educational programs, research and patient services such as free mammograms for women in need.

How to contribute to Breast Cancer Awareness Month

If you have the opportunity to organize or participate in a fundraising event, fantastic! If you don’t, you can still spread the word. Check in on your mom, sister and girlfriends… strike up a conversation and give them a little reminder to self-check or schedule their mammogram. There are loads of ways to bring general awareness from wearing pink to posting to social media. 

I’m teaming up with Hungry Howie’s pizza to do just this. They have turned their pizza boxes pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and are donating money to the National Breast Cancer Foundation for every pizza sold in October. We picked up our pizzas last night, complete with fancy sesame seed crusts and #LoveHopePizza pink boxes!

In addition to their donations to a great cause, Hungry Howie’s are running an Instagram competition to encourage people to bring awareness to breast cancer through social media. It’s a fab cause and a bit of photo fun!

Win Free Pizza for a Year!

Who doesn’t like free pizza? We love our home cooking but we also enjoy a cheeky pizza takeaway when we’re feeling lazy. Hungry Howie’s are giving away a year’s worth of pizza to four lucky Instagrammers through the month of October… here’s how to enter:

• Follow Hungry Howie’s on Instagram... find their account here.
• Take a photo of yourself and your pink Hungry Howie’s pizza box to help bring awareness and spread the word about Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Warrior poses are encouraged… we’re fighting cancer here people!
• Post the photo to your personal Instagram account and include the hashtags #LoveHopePizza and #Contest,
• Mention @hungryhowies in your post,
• Publish your photo to Instagram no later than 11:59:59 PM ET on October 31, 2017.

If in doubt find out more about the contest from Hungry Howie’s themselves here.

Elsie helped me with our warrior photo…

 

A post shared by Twin Pickle (@twin.pickle) on Oct 5, 2017 at 9:48am PDT

I look forward to checking in on the hashtag to see some of the entries. Don’t forget to check your boobs and spread the word!