Grannymar

WILL KNOTT WILL NOT SAY NO TO YOUR MONEY.

No, not for himself but for a very good cause. Are you aware of the Pink for October internet phenomenon? This is a breast cancer awareness programme, where websites and blogs go pink for the month, and photobloggers show pink photos that change daily or weekly throughout the month.

Will has the idea to raise cash for the Irish Cancer Society! I am currently trying to make contact with Action Cancer a Charity based here in Northern Ireland. So while thinking Pink and displaying pictures on our blogs, Will suggests we donate the photos to the charity not just for display, but to be sold and raise money for the charity.

Now this is not confined to Ireland. We are in a global world and anyone is free to take part. Go to your nearest Cancer Charity shop and ask the manager of that shop if he or she would be willing to accept the donation of photographs as part of the “Pink for October Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign“, display and sell them.

Now Mr Knott the clever fellow that he is, covers all angles.

• He wants to raise money – Good for our egos and the Charity.
• He wants us to take photos – Thus increasing our skills and take exercise.
• He would like us to perform a selective colourisation on the photograph so that it becomes a black and white photo with only the pink area coloured – A learning process (for some of us) (major for me).
• Then he wants us to print up our pictures in A4 size and present the collection of A4 printouts to the charity shop in the middle of September for display and sale during October – Printing costs will be our contribution to the cause.

We might need to bring some model release forms before approaching people wearing pink. See Will’s blog for details.

Cancer is a disease that we are all touched by at some time in our lives. If not we ourselves then our loved ones, wider family members or friends have become patients needing surgery, chemotherapy or radio-therapy. Action Cancer now provides a breast screening programme from the age of 40 but is it enough? Is the screening sufficient to cover all types of cancer?

At this stage we are all aware of checking for lumps, but do we? How often? It should be as natural as drying yourself after a shower or bath. We are told to get to know our breasts – Men have them too and they can become victims just as much as women. So make a habit of checking once a month and pick the same time each month to do it. The breasts do change with the hormones so get used to the feel of you own breasts; you will quickly come to know what is right for you.

While I am at it Gentlemen, are you listening? Move downstairs and have a little touchy feel around. Behave! No giggling at the back there, this is serious stuff. Get to know how your equipment should feel, any unusual or strange lumps or bumps should be reported to your Doctor quick fast!

In this country breast screening consists of Mammography and physical examination. Is that sufficient, will it show up all types of cancer in the breast? I thought so; until I read this: Inflamatory Breast Cancer, the silent killer over at Alice’s My Wintersong

I beg and plead with you to watch this You Tube video it might save a life!