We’re proud to wear it pink.
I’m Emma and have a sister called Joanne. Joanne and I first found out about breast cancer when our auntie passed away from the disease. We were youngsters at the time.
Our mother and aunt were then invited to St Mary's Hospital for drug trials with Tamoxifen, a hormone therapy that can reduce your risk of breast cancer. It was then that we also learnt our grandmother had passed away from breast cancer in her early 40s.
When my sister Joanne was in her early 40s, she found a lump and was sadly diagnosed with breast cancer too. After this news, we understood that it could be genetic.
Genetic testing showed we carried the BRCA2 gene
After getting tests, we found out that myself, Joanne, our mum and cousin all carried the BRCA2 gene. We all had a 50/50 chance of getting breast cancer and maybe passing this on to future generations.
Unfortunately, before we could go for elective surgery, myself, our mum and cousin were then all diagnosed with breast cancer. I was 41 years old, my cousin was 43 and mum was 67 at the time of our diagnoses. We all went on to have full mastectomies.
Just over 2 years later, Joanne also went on to be diagnosed with lymphoma. She’s been recovering from the trauma and stress of this too.
Knowing what we know now, Joanne and I wanted to give back with wear it pink
We wanted to help families like ours and help raise funds for ground-breaking research. So, our wear it pink charity night was born!
We decided to organise a small party at Joanne's house. We asked people for donations and played games like guess the number of sweets in the jar. We also organised a raffle and asked local businesses to donate prizes. We raised £600 and were so pleased!
Fast forward 10 years and we have a huge community that supports us
Our friends and family offer to help at our events, donate raffle prize items and just attend and support us. 2024 saw us raise the most money yet, with £6,300 raised. Over the years, we’ve raised over £20,000 in total!
Our top tip is to be organised
Our event is always in October, around wear it pink day, and we start planning in March. Here are our top tips:
- Book a venue if you’re hosting a large event
- Get in touch with local companies for raffle prizes
- Let people know as early as possible so they can put the date in their diary to attend
We want to do what we can for future generations
Breast Cancer Now have been so supportive. They’ve been a listening ear to any of our woes, but they’ve also helped us with our fundraising questions, and they’ve provided materials to help us raise even more cash.
We need to make people aware of Breast Cancer Now and what they do to help people with a breast cancer diagnosis. We’re truly proud to be part of wear it pink and what it stands for.
Ready to be a life-changer?
Join thousands of people across the UK and wear it pink this 24 October. Raise vital funds to help support anyone affected by breast cancer.