Breast Cancer. Hearing these words can frighten us. Most of us know what it is, but do we do something about it? I guess most of us become really involved when we’re directly affected by it. But why do we have to wait if we can take action together to defeat breast cancer? Every action counts.
Honestly, I’ve never felt so scared about breast cancer until my mom underwent a blood test tumor marker. For those who are not aware, a tumor marker is a biomarker found in the blood, urine, or body tissue that can be elevated in cancer, among other tissue types. Tumor markers are usually produced by cancer cells, but other healthy cells can produce them too. There are various tumor markers, each indicative of a particular disease, and these are used to detect the presence of cancer. My mom was a little above the border of the tumor marker for breast cancer. It was a Friday when she got the results. Her doctor was not available on weekends, so it was the longest weekend we ever had. I was very worried for my mom that I ended up crying the whole weekend. And obviously, I had little sleep. Monday came and I was up so early. The ride from our house to the hospital and the wait at the doctor’s clinic felt like forever. After mom’s check up, it was good to hear that there was nothing to worry. Mom was also asked to do a mammogram and thank God, it was negative too. Since then, I never fail to remind my mom to go on a regular check up and do her annual mammogram.
Do you know that the Philippines has the highest incidence of breast cancer in Southeast Asia? “One in every 13 Filipinos falls victim to it and as a woman, a sister, a daughter and the general manager of an institution that has worked for nearly 40 years with various local organizations to help make a difference in the lives of Filipino people, I believe very strongly in the fight against this terrible disease,” says The Peninsula Manila General Manager Sonja Vodusek.
This is the drive of Estée Lauder Companies and The Peninsula Manila to fight and defeat breast cancer.
Over the past two decades, the Estée Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) campaign has brought together women, men, and families in more than 70 countries to help defeat breast cancer in their own unique ways—from wearing a pink pin to sharing their powerful stories about experiences with the disease, from participating in fundraising activities to getting a mammogram each year and encouraging your loved ones to get one as well. Together these actions, big or small, has sparked a global movement enhancing awareness and raising more than $58 million to support global research, education, and medical services.
The 2015 BCA Campaign celebrates all the things we do, big or small, in the fight against breast cancer and unites and empowers the global community to take action throughout the year. So how can we take action to defeat breast cancer?
- Wear a Pink Ribbon to honor mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, friends that breast cancer has taken away.
- See your doctor regularly and schedule an annual mammogram if age 40 and above.
- Remind your friends and family to schedule their yearly health appointments.
- Eat healthy by adding vegetables and fruits to every meal, limiting consumption of processed and red meats, and opting for whole grains instead of refined grains.
- Support lifesaving research by making a donation to BCRF at BCAcampaign.com.
- Exercise regularly.
- Last, but not the least, share how you can take action in the fight against breast cancer by posting a photo, video or message on BCAcampaign.com or on Instagram or Twitter using #BCAstrength. For every action posted between Octiober 1, 2015 and World Cancer Day on February 4, 2016, The Estée Lauder Companies will donate $25 to fund half-hour of breast cancer research through the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, with the goal of funding up to 500 reseach hours ($25,000) through the support of our global digital community.
Meanwhile, The Peninsula Manila is again thinking pink for a purpose this October, Breast Cancer Awareness. Penisnula in Pink undergoes a creative makeover to become The Art of Pink where guests can enjoy artwork by the best Filipino artists and galleries, a charitable art auction, pink-themed afternoon teas and floral decorations and extra pink-tinted treats and surprises.
The Peninsula Manila will host an exhibition of artworks at The Lobby from September 15 to October by acclaimed Filipino artists BenCab, Elmer Borlongan, Impy Pilapil, Plet Bolipata, and Ramon Orlina; furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue; and select pieces from the collections Filipino galleries such as Artinformal, Avellana Art Gallery, Galleria Duemila, Silverlens, The Drawing Room, and Tin–aw. All pieces will be auctioned off on Oct. 1, by official auction partner Christie’s and Jonathan Stone, the venerable auction house’s chairman and international head of Asian Art. The proceeds raised will be donated to the Philippine Foundation for Breast Care, Inc. for the rehabilitation and rebuilding of the Breast Care Center of East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City.
The Peninsula Manila’s Art of Pink auction is in partnership with Estée Lauder Companies, whose BCA Campaign is devoted to defeating breast cancer through education and medical research and to Pink for Life Foundation Inc., a non-profit non-stock charitable foundation whose mission is to provide deeply discounted chemotherapy treatment for patients with Stage 1 to 2 breast cancer.
I hope this post could help open our eyes that it’s about time to make a change. It’s about time we do something. Let’s not wait for this disease to directly affect us. Let’s protect ourselves, let’s protect our loved ones. Together, we can take action to defeat breast cancer.
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