Community
23 October, 2023
Living well, your way
OCTOBER is Breast Cancer Awareness Month; a time to draw attention to the ongoing impact of breast cancer on those diagnosed and their supporters.
This year the theme is ‘Living Well, Your Way’ and now in its 25th year, the Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) continues to connect people with the information, resources and support needed when they (or a family member) has been diagnosed.
Support and information is also available to those who are a support person or a health professional providing care. It’s important to remember that a breast cancer diagnosis looks different for everyone.
And there is no one way to ‘live well’ during or following a diagnosis.
Breast cancer affects people long after active treatment has finished and for some, including those living with metastatic breast cancer, treatment never ends.
There are often long-term impacts of a diagnosis and these can be physical, psychosocial or financial and it’s also likely that different forms of support are needed at different stages.
Throughout the month of October, BCNA chief executive Kirsten Pilatti encourages everyone to “see the whole person, rather than the disease.”
“Following a diagnosis of breast cancer, a quality lifestyle looks different for different people and we are highlighting that throughout the month,” Ms Pilatti said.
“We encourage people to share personal stories about what helps them to live well. There is a variety of resources available on our website and we encourage everyone to utilise those.”
BCNA community fundraising events are a great way to show support for people in your local community affected by breast cancer.
They also raise money to help BCNA provide information and support to the 20,000 Australians expected to be diagnosed this year alone.
Pink lady events, pink sports days and ‘actively pink’ (run fitness classes, hold fun runs – dressed in pink) are just a few ideas that encourage people to wear pink, promote the network and raise vital funds to support breast cancer research.
Anyone needing assistance can call the BCNA hotline on 1800 500 258.
