Senior Editor of commercial partnerships, HuffPost UK
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You may have noticed people posting black and white selfies to social media with the caption ‘challenge accepted’.
The posts, which are flooding Facebook and Instagram feeds, are supposed to raise cancer awareness, but one cancer survivor has had enough.
Rebecca Wilkinson was diagnosed with cancer in 2013 aged 32. She has had both breasts removed and labelled the challenge “narcissistic”, uploading her own selfie to show what cancer.
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Rebecca WilkinsonFacebook
She says that, on the contrary to people’s claims, the challenge does nothing to promote cancer awareness.
“Everyone on Facebook is aware of cancer, so you cannot play the awareness card, particularly as this time it’s not even a *type* of cancer. You’re not raising money. You’re not showing support either,” she wrote.
Wilkinson, who is a single mother-of-two, uploaded her own topless selfie to Facebook with a two fingered salute.
“You can see the result of one successful, and one botched mastectomy and revision,” she wrote, explaining that not even her selfie shows the full story.
“You can’t see the effect chemo has had on my immune system, my hands and feet, or my memory. You can’t see the psychological effects cancer has had on me or my children (who might also have the gene). You can’t see the scars from my oophorectomy (removal of ovaries) either. You can see my bitchin’ eyebrows, but they’re tattoos; chemo stole my real ones.”
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Rebecca Wilkinson
She added that there are much more productive things people can do to support people affected by cancer.
“Do you really think someone with cancer will be happy because you posted a narcissistic picture with an arty filter? No. They won’t. Go visit them in hospital, or take them to chemo, or cook them a meal. Hell, even send them a Facebook message to let them know you are thinking of them.”
Wilkinson had her first mastectomy after being diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer in January 2013, followed by chemotherapy.
She was then told she had the BRCA1 gene mutation, which greatly increased her risk of cancer in her second breast and in her ovaries. As a result she elected to have a second mastectomy and an oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries).
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Rebecca Wilkinson
Wilkinson with her two children (Freddie and Connie) in 2013, the year she had chemotherapy
Speaking to The Huffington Post UK she said: “My children Connie and Freddie will have to be tested for the BRCA1 gene when they are 18 as they have a 50% chance of inheriting it.”
Speaking about the Facebook post, she revealed didn’t expect her post to go viral, but the challenge upset her. “All I felt was rage,” she said
She added that the response to her post has been overwhelmingly positive.
“I’ve had messages from many ladies who’ve had cancer saying that I’ve helped them feel more body positive after mastectomies. I’ve had messages from people who have friends or family with cancer, saying they are really grateful for the message of positivity and that they wish me well. I’ve had a lot of people from my past crawl out of the woodwork, too.”
Celebrities Who Have Faced Breast Cancer
Kylie Minogue(01 of10)
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Kylie, 45, was diagnosed during her Showgirl world tour in 2005. After undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the singer took a few months off to recover.But determined Kylie made the ultimate comeback, and after being given the go-ahead by doctors, returned to the tour in 2006.She told the Radio Times: "A day does not go by without me thinking about [the breast cancer]. Just looking in a mirror is enough – the scars are moral and physical." (credit:Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Sally Dyvenor(02 of10)
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Coronation Street star, Sally Dyvenor, discovered she had breast cancer while filming a parallel storyline with her soap character, Sally Webster. But although it might seem like an unfortunate case of life imitating art, the storyline could have saved her life. Dyvenor had found a lump on her breast while on holiday the previous year. But it wasn't until she began to film the scenes in which her character, Sally Webster, finds a lump that she asked an on-set nurse to check it out."If I had not been researching this storyline, I may not have discovered the lump in my breast and had it looked at so quickly," she said.In May 2014, Dyvenor, whose cancer spread to six of the lymph nodes under her arm, launched The Pledge Booklet. This draws on the experiences of more than 150 patients, to help provide guidance to those undergoing treatment for secondary cancer. (credit:Eamonn and James Clarke/Eamonn and James Clarke)
Jennifer Saunders (03 of10)
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Like many women, Jennifer Saunders thought that because she had no family history of breast cancer, she wasn't at risk of the disease. So when the comedienne went for a mammogram in 2009, she assumed the results would be clear. She told the Telegraph: "I had no family history of breast cancer and I had breastfed, which I sort of thought exempted you."But sadly the scan did detect a small cancerous lump. After undergoing a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Jennifer went public about her illness in the summer of 2010. The final part of Jennifer's treatment involved taking the drug Tamoxifen, which plunged her into the menopause and subsequently a bout of depression. But four years on, the BAFTA-winning writer is in good health: "I'm pleased to say that life is good again," she told the Telegraph. (credit:Tim P. Whitby via Getty Images)
Sharon Osbourne(04 of10)
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Having fought breast cancer off once, Sharon Osbourne discovered she carried a faulty gene that put her at high risk of contracting the disease again. Like Angelina Jolie, she opted to have a preventative double mastectomy.She said: "As soon as I found out I had the breast cancer gene, I thought, 'the odds are not in my favour'. I’ve had cancer before and I didn’t want to live under that cloud. I decided to just take everything off, and had a double mastectomy." (credit:Katy Winn/Invision/AP)
Cynthia Nixon(05 of10)
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Sex & The City star Cynthia Nixon was given the news that a small tumour had been found after a mammogram in 2006. In an interview on US show Good Morning America, she said: "I realised it had been found early so they could get right on with it."Her treatment involved a lumpectomy, followed by six weeks of radiation treatment. But Nixon chose not to go public about her battle with the disease until 2008."I didn't really want to make it public while I was going through it. I didn't want paparazzi at the hospital, things like that," she said. The actress is now an official ambassador for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world's largest breast cancer organisation. (credit:Angela Weiss via Getty Images)
Olivia Newton-John(06 of10)
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Grease star Olivia Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 – the same week her father died of cancer. She underwent a partial mastectomy and breast reconstruction and has been cancer-free for more than two decades. She is patron of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer & Wellness Centre at the Austin Hospital, Heidelberg, Melbourne, Autstralia.The singer believes that a positive attitude helped to get her through her battle with the disease: “I learned very quickly how important it was to think positively. When the second friend I called with the news burst into tears, I thought ‘I don’t need this’. I had a sister and friends make the calls. That way I could focus on positive thoughts.” (credit:Mindy Small via Getty Images)
Anastacia(07 of10)
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Singer Anastacia has fought off breast cancer twice and in 2013 had a double mastectomy. She said in an inspiring statement during Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2013:"l was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time earlier this year and am currently in the final stages of recovery after undergoing a double mastectomy."It has been an intense journey but l am feeling great and ready to start the next chapter."Breast Cancer Awareness Month gives all who are facing this disease a chance to gain strength and support from each other."Early detection has saved my life twice. I will continue to battle and lend my voice in anyway I can." (credit:Suzan/Suzan)
Sam Taylor-Johnson (née Taylor-Wood)(08 of10)
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Sam Taylor-Johnson has survived cancer twice. The award-winning filmmaker was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1997, weeks after giving birth to her first daughter. In 2000, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy and six months of chemotherapy.In an interview with The Guardian, the artist was asked if she emerged from her illness 'harder'. She responded: "I don't necessarily think harder, but I do think you're more free about where you want to be in life. Time is precious." (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sheryl Crow(09 of10)
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The 'If It Makes You Happy' singer had a lumpectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. Sadly, in 2011, doctors discovered a brain tumour, which fortunately was benign. It has shown little growth and is monitored every six months with an MRI scan."Without question, finding out I had breast cancer seven and a half years ago was a game changer. It forced me really to look at who I was," she told The Mirror.Having just split from her partner Lance Armstrong at the time of the diagnosis, the singer was forced to ask herself some searching questions about what was lacking from her life.As a result, she left her New York home and bought a farm in Nashville, Tennessee, where she now lives with her adopted sons, Wyatt, 7, and Levi, 4. (credit:Ian West/PA Archive)
Dame Maggie Smith(10 of10)
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Dame Maggie Smith, one of the country's best-loved actresses, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008. The courageous star was filming Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, while undergoing intensive chemotherapy treatment.She said the experience of having cancer had “very much” changed her: “I think it’s the age I was when it happened. It knocks you sideways. It takes you longer to recover, you are not so resilient. I am fearful of the amount of energy one needs to be in a film or a play.”But despite her ordeal, she held onto her sense of humour throughout. She said of filming Harry Potter...: “I was hairless. I had no problem getting the wig on. I was like a boiled egg." (credit:David M. Benett via Getty Images)