BEBOOBAWARE
RAISING AWARENESS OF BREAST CANCER
Gill Sherry
With one in two people likely to develop cancer at some point in their lives, it’s probable we all know at least one person who has been diagnosed.
For 19-year-old Ava Morgan, however, the number is significantly higher.
“My mum was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was seven. My gran – my mum’s mum – passed away from breast cancer when my mum was 22. That had a big impact on my mum’s life… and she was diagnosed when she was 38.”
Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there.
“From my dad’s side of the family, his mum passed away from breast cancer, and my cousin – my dad’s sister’s daughter – was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 24. She has secondary breast cancer and was only given a couple of weeks to live if she didn’t take the treatment. She did take the treatment and luckily it has kept the cancer under control.”
This prompted Ava, a former student at Wellington School, to seek a test for the BRCA2 gene.
“Fortunately I don’t have the gene, so that’s something positive.”
Being given the all-clear may have put Ava’s mind at rest, but it hasn’t stopped her from raising awareness. The former Miss Ayrshire Teen GB and current Miss Great Britain Edinburgh, launched a campaign last year (BeBoobAware) to actively raise awareness of breast cancer.
“I got a couple of influencers involved… Heather Bowling got involved with it. It started off as a wee bit of fun but it’s grown arms and legs and now I do events. I do a few dance classes with Lisa Jane Muir – LJM Dance in Ayr – she’s really helped me.”
Ava’s most recent dance event was ‘Heels & Feels’ from which she raised around £600 for Cancer Research UK. Prior to that was a Barbie-themed event (pink for breast cancer), both of which were aimed at raising awareness, educating young girls, and also supporting women who have struggled with or been impacted by breast cancer.
She’s now looking forward to a sparkle-themed ladies lunch at The Balgarth Pines on 12th October which is already sold out.
“My mum’s best friend, she was called Kay Sparkle, passed away from breast cancer, so it’s sparkle-themed… prosecco, fizz and that kind of thing. She was my second mum growing up. We’re on target to raise £7,000 from that event.”
The BeBoobAware campaign is also active on social media with accounts on Instagram and Facebook as well as having its own website. Ava’s mum, Kay, tells me about one recent Instagram post, showing a set of beads on a keychain. The different sized beads represent the size of lump you can actually feel alongside the size that a mammogram can detect.
“There’s a massive difference,” says Kay. “The campaign is about starting girls early feeling their own breasts for changes, but also to get their mums to get a mammogram. I caught mine early because my mum died. She saved my life. If she hadn’t died I wouldn’t have gone to the doctor asking for a mammogram. That’s what caught mine early. If I’d left it until I could feel the lump, I wouldn’t be here.”
It’s a sobering thought and another reason why both Ava and her mum are committed to the BeBoobAware campaign.
Kay continues: “You need to be your own health advocate. Nobody cares about your health as much as you do and nobody knows your body as well as you do. You’re responsible for the body that you were given. Your only job is to look after it.”
Wise words from someone well-positioned to offer advice.
As for Ava, aside from studying International Business at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, she’s also setting her sights on the Miss Great Britain final in October. Until then, though, she’s concentrating on boobs!
Instagram: @beboobaware
Facebook: BeBoobaware
Website: www.beboobaware.com
