Cornmarket financial services is to sponsor the Breast Cancer Ireland (BCI) education and awareness programme for teachers and TY students countrywide. The programme aims to encourage and educate women about good breast health from a young age so that if an abnormality occurs it can be identified early and the treatment outcome will be more positive.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. One in nine women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime, with about 2,890 new cases diagnosed each year.
The programme involves BCI nurses presenting to schools in friendly, informative and non-intrusive way. Using a medically-induced mannequin showing the breast cancer’s eight symptoms, the nurses will show how to perform a self-breast examination, recognise the symptoms and encourage them to download BCI’s free breast aware app.
During the coming ‘Back to School’ weeks, an awareness campaign will be rolled out to encourage teachers and principals to book in free demos for their TY students and colleagues. One in three breast cancer cases diagnosed each year affect women aged between 20 and 50. Together, BCI and Cornmarket hope to reduce the figure considerably.
BCI is a registered charity which aims through research to translate breast cancer from often being a fatal disease, with over 680 deaths a year, to a treatable illness, that can be maintained long term. Each centre would normally see 9,000 women annually, 300 of whom present with breast cancer. Research efforts take between two to three years.
With more samples, research centres are speeding up discovery times to within nine months.
Schools are urged to visit BCI education awareness on www.breastcancerireland.com
Photo: Aisling Hurley, BCI, breast cancer survivor Emma Cassidy and Lisa Kelly, Cornmarket
