Today, we have a guest post from our friend Hande, who joined some of our fellow Edinburgh bloggers at a recent event, to support the Great Pink Bake Off
Today, as I walked down Princes Street, I found myself counting every time I saw a group of women. 1-2-3-4-5-6. One of them will get breast cancer at some point in their lives. Correction, one of US will get breast cancer at some point in our lives.
Mark Greenaway
I didn’t realize just how prevalent breast cancer is, until I attended a Breakthrough Breast Cancer event, a few weeks ago. The most common cancer for women worldwide, 4.4 million instances of Breast Cancer are diagnosed each year. That’s 50,000 women and 400 men diagnosed in the UK every year which also means: 1 in 6 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lives. That’s a LOT of people!
This is all unpleasant info, but the people at the Breakthrough Breast Cancer event managed to make it a little sweeter with baked goods and pink decor. The event was actually a get together for bloggers and foodies; and though I’m neither, I went along in place of Blythe who roped me in with the promise of Chef Mark Greenaway’s Cupcakes.
Cupcake
Once there, I learned 3 important things:
1) Breast Cancer touches everyone’s lives
2) Breakthrough Breast Cancer does some seriously good work and
3) Mark Greenaway’s Cupcakes Rock!
Breakthrough Breast Cancer is an organization whose goal is simple: a Future Free From the Fear of Breast Cancer. In this vein, they are conducting some really interesting research. One project in particular caught my attention (between bites of Mark’s sticky toffee pudding cupcake with salted caramel and cream cheese icing): the Breakthrough Generations Study.
The chef and his work
In the Breakthrough Generations Study, the organization is monitoring 100,000 women over a 40 year period in order to pinpoint genetic, environmental and behavioural causes of the disease. The results of this study will contribute not only to the prevention of the disease but also with early detection -once the genetics is properly understood!).
Breakthrough Breast Cancer, do work, not only at ‘research’ level, but also at the political level to get affected patients a better standard of care. Phrases like ‘work at the political level’ are sometimes hard to pin down, but where this organization is concerned, the effort produces tangible results. One such result is that Breakthrough Breast Cancer lobbyists managed to ensure a maximum waiting time of two weeks for everyone referred to a hospital by their GP with a worrying symptom.
In conclusion, supporting an organization like Breakthrough Breast Cancer is tantamount to supporting one in every 6 women you come across on an average day. Totally worthwhile! And with their latest project, GREAT PINK BAKE OFF, they’ve given everyone in Scotland an excuse to eat yummy cupcakes all in the name of eradicating Breast Cancer!
For full details of the Great Pink Bake Off events, which take place on 18 October and throughout October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month), roll up your sleeves and click on www.pinkbakeoff.org. Take this opportunity to show your support for the millions of men and women fighting Breast Cancer today.