Wear it Pink sends out the right message to women

As we explain on pages 4&5, it’s in support of Wear it Pink Day, which is today.

The aim is to raise awareness of breast cancer and is part of a month dedicated to that cause.

It’s a positive message that we are happy to echo in our pages today.

But behind the awareness-raising, we reveal some worrying statistics.

At 50, women across the area are invited for a breast screening.

The aim is to catch any cancer or potential cancer at the earliest stage.

But nearly half of those women invited are not taking up the invitation.

We know that people’s lives are busy.

There are myriad distractions that could mean what starts off being on the ‘to do’ list rapidly finds itself forgotten.

But, as we report today, it really could save you life.

Jessica Walton tells us how she discovered something was wrong with her breast.

And she is now relieved at how quickly her GP referred her for vital care at Queen Alexandra Hospital.

Nine weeks later she was recovering from a mastectomy.

Her message today to women reading The News is ‘get checked’.

As our statistics show today, once women have been once, they’re much more likely to keep up with follow-up appointments in future years.

These can prove equally important in diagnosing potential cancer.

So, if you’re Wearing it Pink today – well done, we salute you.

And if you’re not, at least take the message from the day and pass it on to your loved ones.