This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at KCL chapter.

As some of you may know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Cancer is an illness that might have touched lots of people around us. What can we do to fight against this disease? Even at our own scale?

First, what could be a good idea is to be informed on who it can impact, the factors, diagnosis, treatment, etc.

1- Get information on Breast cancer.

Here are some basics things to know if you are interested

FACTS :

Women AND men can have a form of Breast cancer
Every 2 minutes, a woman is diagnosed with Breast cancer in the US; more than 1,400 women everyday, whereas a man’s lifestyle risk of breast cancer is about 1 in 1,000.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide
Breast cancer is not contagious
Breast cancer is not caused by wearing underwire bras, implants, deodorants, caffeine, microwaves or cell phones, as myths often suggest.

CAUSES :

It is a normal thing to ask what is the « cause » of the disease, but when talking about breast cancer, no one knows the exact causes. The only thing doctors know for sure is that Breast cancer is always caused by a damage to a cell’s DNA.

RISK FACTORS :

There are two types of factors: the ones that can be avoided (for example, drinking alcohol) and the ones that cannot be avoided (such as having a family history of Breast cancer). Here is a list of different factors:
Genetic factors (gender, age, family history, personal health history, menstrual/reproductive history: early menstruation or late menopause, having your first child at an older age, never having given birth).
Lifestyle risk factors (lack of physical activity, poor diet, being overweight or obese, early radiation to the chest).
For more information, take a look at the following websites: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk and https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/worried-abou…

2- Show your support and wear pink on the 23rd of October

What I like in this idea is that it is easy to do and an effective way to show your support. In addition, it encourages people to donate money. So let’s wear pink on the 23rd!

3- Be a part of the KCL Uni Boob Society!

As we all know, King’s College London has lots of great volunteering opportunities for students to get involved with, one of which is the KCL Uni Boob Team. This society represents the Breast cancer awareness charity CoppaFeel! who are on a mission to get young people checking their chests regularly, to ensure all Breast cancers are diagnosed as early as possible at their most treatable stage. The KCL Uni Boob Team help spread CoppaFeel!’s message to students at King’s, as well as fundraising for the charity to ensure they can continue their vital work. They run lots of fun and exciting events throughout the year – you can check out their instagram @ubt.kings to see some examples! There are lots of ways you can get involved, from becoming a halls/campus rep and spreading the importance of copin’ a feel to other students at your uni accomodation or campus, to joining the committee and helping to grow and shape the future of the society.

You can find out more about them and CoppaFeel! here > https://coppafeel.org/our-charity/

4- Find out about Breast Cancer Awareness Month products you can buy!

On the internet, you will find loads of goodies to buy (socks, mugs, t-shirts, pajamas, water bottles…etc) related to Breast cancer. In other words, when you buy a product, a part of what you pay goes to a charity (before you pay, be sure to check that a percentage of what you are paying goes to a cancer organisation).

Here is a list of some brands stocking Tickled Pink items:

GHD
Cath Kidston
Skechers
Sofology
River Island
Asda

Additional Information:

(Written on the 17th of October)

What Can We Do To Support Breast Cancer Awareness?