Breast Cancer education can be a daunting topic to discuss. Everyone knows it is an important thing to be aware of, and most of us have been told for as long as we can remember that we need to check ourselves regularly. It is not exactly a fun subject to talk about, and few people would consider talking about it fun or enjoyable.
This common attitude was part of the inspiration for the Check Your Boobies non-profit organization. Created in 2003 by breast cancer survivor Heike Malakoff, this Seattle-based program was created to educate women about breast health in a fun, fear-free way. The organization hosts what they call Check Your Boobies parties. The parties are educational and fun talks they give to groups of willing men and women. In the past year the organization has worked to build their college outreach program, hosting parties all around the country.
Last week three members of Check Your Boobies came to Boston to Host parties at BU, Harvard, and Northeastern. At BU they gave three separate talks to different sororities. The parties are not very long, but are very informative and they do their best to remain light-hearted and optimistic about breast cancer. The party includes a testimonial from a breast cancer survivor, educational charades, a session on how to check yourself, and of course a chance to have any questions one could have answered by a Breast Health Educator.
Anyone can request a party for a group of friends, a class, or an organization through their website, Checkyourboobies.org.
Along with setting up these parties, the website has a feature that reminds you monthly to check yourself. By offering information about your last cycle, the site can send you monthly email reminders to check your boobs at the best time of the month – six days after your period.
Breast health is a necessary part of life for women. Breast Cancer can be a scary topic to discuss, and something we don’t ever want to have to think about too extensively. Luckily with an organization like Check Your Boobies, we are reminded that there can be a fun way to educate ourselves and stay on top of our health.