
When life gives you lemons, you use them to catch early signs of breast cancer. Even though that’s not the way the saying goes, after having lost both her grandmothers aged 40 and 62 to breast cancer, Corrine Beaumont created the “Know Your Lemons” campaign that helps women identify early signs of the disease with misshaped sour fruits.
The young designer’s campaign was shared on social media over 30,000 times over the past few days. One woman with stage 4 breast cancer, Erin Smith Chieze, says she would not have been able to address her health issue properly if she wouldn’t have come across Corrine Beaumont’s interpretation of breast cancer indicators online. The campaign has been going on since 2003 but came into the spotlight only after Erin shared her battle with the disease on Facebook.
Studies
A survey conducted recently by a team of researchers at Breast Cancer Care charity discovered that out of 1,000 women only a third regularly checks for signs of the disease. Furthermore, even though a lump in the breast is the most common indicator of breast cancer, only a handful knew that a retracted nipple is also a sign of the disease.
Many people believe that Corrine Beaumont’s campaign reaches out to people in ways other articles and studies that also raise awareness on the disease are unable to.
The young designer’s campaign uses lemons in an egg box to label each sign of the disease. Even though lumps are associated with the disease, studies show that in 9 out of 10 cases they do not necessarily account for an early sign of the affection. Nevertheless, health experts recommend women who come across indentations in their breasts to consult with their healthcare provider for a deeper understanding of the symptoms associated with breast cancer.
Early Signs
Other signs of the disease could be growing veins, skin sores, orange peel skin, hidden lumps, redness, inverted nipples, or mammary secretions, sometimes involving even blood. Professor of surgery and oncology at University College London, Jayant Vaidya recommends women to regularly check for breast cancer symptoms, especially lumps, while applying body lotion. This could help patients catch on the early stages of the disease and drastically improve their chances of fighting off breast cancer.
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