In the past, we’ve seen many viral campaigns which have really made a difference in the world and this one is no different.
A breast cancer survivor has fought back in retaliation to a ‘game’ going round on Facebook where people post a heart to supposedly raise awareness for breast cancer, The Huffington Post reports.
Erin Smith Chieze shared her own personal story alongside a photo, designed by Corrine Ellsworth Beaumont, founder of the charity Worldwide Breast Cancer.
It features 12 lemons, which show the lesser-known symptoms of cancer, such as leaking nipples or a change in breast shape.
It was a similar photo that helped Erin notices changes to her own breast. She was later diagnosed with stage four breast cancer.
She’s warned people to only post about cancer if what they can post is helpful, as otherwise we risk desensitising the condition.
Erin explained:
A heart did nothing for awareness. I knew what breast cancer was. I knew all about self exams, but a picture of what to look for keyed me into knowing I had a terminal disease. We need to give REAL information, not cute hearts. Without having seen a picture randomly with real information, I wouldn’t have known what to look for.
PLEASE, stop playing games that do not actually promote awareness, they often cause people to tune out anything that might even mention the word awareness.
Chieze said unlike other viral breast cancer campaigns, this one can genuinely make a difference.
“If you truly want to help people WITH cancer, or those who will GET cancer, share photos like this one. It truly did make a difference for me,” she said.
There has been overwhelming support for the image, having been shared over 37,000 times- with many Facebook users thanking Erin for helping to raise awareness.
Fair play to her!
