It’s an honour to introduce our photo essay I WANT YOU TO KNOW, a collaborative and volunteer effort with award winning photographer Hilary Gauld and the amazing Ellyn-Winters Robinson. We began working on this Breast Cancer Awareness Month project last April, and we’re so proud of the results. Stunning portraits of 31 incredible individuals with breast cancer will be shared each day of October, along with personal stories. We hope you will find the photo essay as meaningful as we did.
What these stories teach us flies in the face of what we traditionally think of breast cancer. Breast cancer can happen to anyone at any age, any ethnicity and gender. 85% of breast cancer cases happen to individuals without a family history. 17% of breast cancer cases happen in the 40s. Black, Asian and Hispanic women usually get breast cancer earlier in the 40s, whereas white women have a peak incidence in the late 50s and early 60s. Breast cancer is not a white middle-aged women’s’ disease. These 31 individuals want you to know how important it is to be vigilant, breast aware and to advocate for yourself if you notice any changes. They want you to know how important early detection is to having the best prognosis and quality of life. These are stories of resilience and courage, and we invite you to read them and share them.
The photo essay can be seen here https://densebreastscanada.ca/photo-essays/