Elizabeth Hurley2013-05-18T10:01:57-04:00Elizabeth Hurleyhttp://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=elizabeth-hurleyCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Elizabeth HurleyGood old fashioned elbow grease.Don't be Scared: Get a Mammogramtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.10153142011-10-17T19:00:00-04:002011-12-17T05:12:01-05:00Elizabeth Hurleyhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/elizabeth-hurley/
But on day 365, I'm in a panic. For on day 365, I get my annual mammogram and, in between the procedure and waiting for the nurse to come back with the result, I get really, really scared.
In the 20 minutes or so that it takes for the doctor to study the images, my imagination takes me to dark and frightening places and I generally wind myself up into a frenzy. Everything bad flashes through my mind and invariably I end up seeing my little orphaned son crying at my funeral, his mother having lost her fight against breast cancer...
So far, thank God, this hasn't happened; I have stumbled out of the hospital five times, sobbing with relief, knowing I have a clear mammogram and another year to fight the good fight against the disease. I'm not a victim myself. Yet.
I know quite a bit about breast cancer, as I go around the world every October with Evelyn Lauder, in a double pronged fund raising and awareness raising campaign. Through our Global Illumination Programme, where we light more than 200 beautiful landmark buildings pink each year, and through our Pink Ribbon campaign-the Estee Lauder Companies have given out more than 115 million free pink ribbons - I have personally met thousands of breast cancer survivors, thousands of women going through treatment and battling the disease and many more thousands of people who have lost their loved ones. I have also spent time with many of the research scientists we fund at the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and I keenly follow their progress.
We know that one in eight women will ultimately develop breast cancer, but less people know that if a localised tumour is found early, there is a 90% chance of survival. That's why I endure the horror of the mammogram every year. Not that the mammogram itself is horrific-ignore the scaremongering stories if you have yet to have one- they're not remotely painful, only slightly uncomfortable and nowhere near as bad as stubbing your toe. No, the horror is the mental anguish of bracing yourself for bad news and what it could mean for your family. I have spoken to enough white faced teenage boys at my personal appearances, whom have just lost their mums to breast cancer, not to be scared for my boy.
My grandmother died of breast cancer. It was the dark ages, pre 1993, when no one spoke about breast cancer and the Pink Ribbon had yet to be invented. She found a lump and didn't tell anyone for a few years as she was too scared. Contrast that with a better story: a few years ago, I had four friends, all mums, all under 40 and all with breast cancer. They had found the lumps themselves, through self examination.
They are all alive today, possibly because their cancers were detected early. Early detection saves lives and it's our absolute duty to spread the word about self examination and regular mammograms. No stone should be left unturned in our quest to seek out women we know who are too scared to go down that path. Give them a stiff drink either before or after if it helps. Whatever it takes, if you care about someone, march them down to the doctors for a check up.
Right now, we are half way though our annual October activities-I have a rack of pink dresses lined up for my personal appearances and have just visited Russia, Scotland, South Africa and the UK and have NY to come this week. More on all this later. In the meantime, swig a gin and tonic and book your mammogram if it's overdue...]]>Prevent Breast Cancer One Woman at a Time (PHOTOS)tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.7448992010-09-30T08:30:00-04:002011-11-17T09:02:45-05:00Elizabeth Hurleyhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/elizabeth-hurley/
"There is a great deal of misinformation out there about breast cancer. We need to connect with every woman we know -- whether it be a mother, grandmother, sister, daughter or friend. We cannot underestimate the importance of communicating to women everywhere that they need to see their doctors regularly and get a mammogram annually if they are over the age of 40. It's important. Don't leave it for an extra year."
In 1992, I co-created the Pink Ribbon with Alexandra Penney, then editor-in-chief of SELF magazine, and in turn started The Estée Lauder Companies' Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign. Today, the Pink Ribbon has become the ubiquitous symbol of breast health, and I'm thrilled to share that, to date, The Estée Lauder Companies has distributed more than 110 million Pink Ribbons worldwide. The 2010 Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign theme is: "Connect. Communicate. Conquer. Prevent Breast Cancer One Woman At A Time. The Pink Ribbon. Wear It. Share It." The Campaign drew its inspiration from The Estée Lauder Companies' heritage, which dates back to 1946, when we reached our consumers through a "High-Touch" method of communication: "Telephone, Telegraph, Tell-A-Woman," and also demonstrates how communication today has evolved and is much more fast-paced. The Campaign visual of a woman's hand over her breast represents how women can take control of their breast health and how we can conquer this disease one woman at a time.
In a time when a message can be sent worldwide with a click of a button, we knew that the use of social media was key. So in order to bring this portion of the campaign to life and to get the message out worldwide, we invited influential bloggers to New York City to be photographed by world renowned photographer John Midgley, whereby each blogger recreated this signature visual, of the woman's hand over her breast, to reflect their personal passion for this cause. Participating bloggers include: Jane Cuoto, Sharon Cuoto and Audrey McClelland (Mom Generations); Gala Darling (GalaDarling.com); Laura Kenny (AOL Style List); Wendy Lam (Nitrolicious); Peter Shankman (Shankman); Amanda Steinberg (DailyWorth); Rachel Sklar (mediaITE); Renee Styler (Good Enough Mother) and Annie Tomlin (Bella Sugar).
With the help of these bloggers, these images will inspire individuals the world over to take their own BCA pledge to support Breast Cancer Awareness (i.e., to get a mammogram if you are over 40) and share their pledge with at least one person, encouraging them to, in turn, do the same. The BCA Pledge campaign can be found across a variety of online destinations, including over a dozen Estée Lauder Companies' brand websites, Facebook pages, on blogs (including those of the participating bloggers) and on the campaign's site: www.bcapledge.org. The campaign also has its own Facebook page, Twitter channel (@BCAPledge) and YouTube channel. We hope that you can join us in our efforts to "Connect. Communicate. Conquer. Prevent Breast Cancer One Woman At A Time."
Elizabeth and I are also passionate about finding a cure for breast cancer through research. In 1993, I founded The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®, as an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to funding innovative clinical and translational research. To date, the foundation has raised over 290 million dollars. In October 2010, BCRF is awarding $33 million to over 170 scientists across the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia. Last year, more than 88 cents of each dollar donated to the Foundation went directly to breast cancer research and awareness programs. The American Institute of Philanthropy has awarded the Foundation its highest possible rating of A+. BCRF is the only breast cancer organization to receive this accolade; and is the only cancer organization to currently hold this ranking. For more information about BCRF, visit www.bcrfcure.org. The Estee Lauder Companies' Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign is the largest corporate sponsor of BCRF.
We are so appreciative of everyone who has partnered with us in the effort, and know that one day breast cancer will become a thing of the past!]]>