During lockdown, here’s how we can be even more vigilant when it comes to breast health

Brought to you by Breast Cancer Ireland

Your health is your wealth.

In the midst of lockdown, there's one thing on most of our minds and that is staying safe from the coronavirus. However, we and Breast Cancer Ireland are urging women across the country to stay super vigilant too when it comes to breast cancer. One in nine women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime with thirty per cent of women diagnosed with the disease aged between 20 and 50. While this doesn't mean we need to stress ourselves out thinking about the stats, it does mean it's entirely worth knowing the signs and symptoms associated with breast cancer, not to ignore them when they're there and to see a GP who can refer us on if needs be. We don't even have to keep trying to remember to do our breast check — Breast Cancer Ireland is inviting women to download its free app called Breast Aware which sends a discreet monthly reminder to your phone. How handy! Also, relaunching this month (after pausing due to Covid19), is the charity's Breast Health and Education Awareness Programme online. The initiative will see the charity's outreach coordinators presenting to schools and businesses throughout Ireland with the aim of promoting the importance of good breast health education. This month the programme will see coordinators, all of whom are breast cancer survivors, sharing their personal stories to educate on how to perform a self breast examination and highlight the signs and symptoms to recognise any potential abnormalities. With the support of The Irish National Teachers Organisation and Cornmarket Financial Services, the aim is to visit every primary school over the next five years, either in person or through Zoom, depending on restrictions. Each presentation is about 30 minutes and with the help of a mannequin, students will learn how to examine and identify any abnormalities that may be a sign of breast cancer. In a twelve-month period in 2019, the team met with 35,000 women and young girls across Ireland and as a result, four new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed early as a result. Not only this, but feedback from the programme has been excellent with an incredible 100 per cent of survey respondents rating the programme as 'excellent' or 'very good' and 100 per cent of respondents saying they would recommend the programme to a friend. Schools and businesses can get involved by registering their interest online here at Breast Cancer Ireland. And be sure to download Breast Cancer Ireland's app, Breast Aware. It costs nothing and will only be of benefit, so you can carry on living life knowing you'll be reminded to self-check when the time is just right. Keep up to date with the latest news and events from Breast Cancer Ireland on Instagram and Twitter. Brought to you by Breast Cancer Ireland