One young woman a day is diagnosed with breast cancer in New Zealand – and that little-known danger has prompted an in-your-face new awareness campaign.
The cancer is often seen as an issue only for middle-aged women, but now the Breast Cancer Foundation is raising the alarm among women in the 20s and 30s.
The Foundation says young women need to be checking their breasts, and also watching for newly-discovered visual signs like dimpling, puckering, rashes, inverted nipples and lumps.
Kelly McDiarmid was 37 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
A new advertising campaign, launching on Sunday to mark the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, shows three New Zealand women posing topless to recreate classic paintings by Rubens and Rembrandt. The breasts of the women in those paintings, according to an art history expert, show some of the visual signs of cancer.
Kelly McDiarmid was 37 when she found a lump on her right breast. When she went to get checked, various health professionals said she was too young.
McDiarmid is now focused on getting fit and healthy with her young boys, left, Angus, 7, James, 3, and Samuel, 5.
CHRISTEL YARDLEY/STUFF
McDiarmid is now focused on getting fit and healthy with her young boys, left, Angus, 7, James, 3, and Samuel, 5.
Initially, a specialist said it didn't look serious – but the Hamilton woman said she'd rather be safe than sorry. A mammogram, ultrasound then biopsy confirmed she had breast cancer.
It was a shock for McDiarmid, who was a young, fit and healthy runner. "I have always been a checker. So my advice is, if you feel something in your breast and don't know what it is – get it checked," she said.
"You're stunned, but you think, okay, what do we do now? Have we caught it early? What can we do about it?"
Mother-of-three Kelly McDiarmid, 39, copies the pose from Rubens' painting Orpheus and Eurydice.
BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION NZ
Mother-of-three Kelly McDiarmid, 39, copies the pose from Rubens' painting Orpheus and Eurydice.
The lump was removed, but the cancer had spread to to her lymph nodes. She had a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation, and chose not to have breast reconstruction surgery.
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"I wanted them off right from the beginning. They threatened my life – I don't need them, I don't want them," McDiarmid said. "My breasts had done their job, they had fed my three children. They did not define me."
Most women diagnosed with cancer are over 45, which is why the Ministry of Health funds free mammograms for them, every two years.
Kelly McDiarmid was 37 when she found a lump on her right breast. She had a double mastectomy and chose not to have ...
CHRISTEL YARDLEY/STUFF
Kelly McDiarmid was 37 when she found a lump on her right breast. She had a double mastectomy and chose not to have breast reconstruction surgery.
But about 12 per cent of those diagnosed are aged under 45, according to New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation. That is why chief executive Evangelia Henderson is calling on young women to be "breast aware" from age 20 – to know how their breasts normally look and feel, and to see a doctor if there are changes.
"Get it seen to by a doctor and seek a second opinion if you're concerned," Henderson said.
The Foundation also says women aged between 40 and 45 should get mammograms, even if they have to pay themselves.
The breasts of the woman who modeled for Rubens' Orpheus and Eurydice show signs of cancer, experts say.
The breasts of the woman who modeled for Rubens' Orpheus and Eurydice show signs of cancer, experts say.
Henderson said women diagnosed early with breast cancer today could deal with it, and life full and healthy lives; not so for the women who modelled for Rembrandt and Rubens.
"While the hidden danger within the original masterpieces is tragic, we also wanted to show that with the right knowledge and awareness, breast cancer can be overcome," she said.
"Just look at how far we've come in being able to treat it when you compare the tragedy of the original masterpieces to the brave women who feature in our recreations."
McDiarmid said she enjoys running now, without the weight of her F-cup chest.
CHRISTEL YARDLEY/STUFF
McDiarmid said she enjoys running now, without the weight of her F-cup chest.
Kelly McDiarmid finished her cancer treatment in April this year. Now, she is focused on keeping fit and healthy for her and her family – and posing for the ad campaign was a change to get the message out to other women.
There were even silver linings. Her petite frame no longer has the weight of "F" cup breasts – she said running was now a lot easier, and has set a goal to run a half marathon.
"I still come out of the shower with a towel around my chest, and do weird automatic things like that.
"The kids say: Mum you can mow the lawn like dad now – with your shirt off! Which always has me laughing."
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