According to American Cancer Society, 1 in 7 women will get diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we want to spread the word on an organization that works to promote breast health and education. Check Your Boobies is a non-profit organization that educates the public on breast health. Their mission is to “have every woman know her breasts.”
Elena Smith and Meghan Arigo, two juniors at Seattle University, became a part of the national Check Your Boobies organization in the fall of 2013, when they contacted them to hold “booby parties” (breast cancer educational meetings).
Since then, they have been working to spread more awareness about the importance of breast health on campus.
What is Check Your Boobies?
“Check Your Boobies is an organization that focuses on education of breast (and testicular) health.
[We] want to combat the fear that arises with thoughts of possibly contracting breast cancer by providing a different way of delivering information on breast health. [We also] want to see more women comfortable in self-examinations and proactive in seeking help if something arises.”
Why were you interested in expanding this program at Seattle University?
“We became aware of their organization when the SU cross country team was volunteering at a meet where [Check Your Boobies] was tabling. The cross country team at SU did not have an affiliation with a breast cancer organization, unlike some of the other women’s teams on campus before we contacted Check Your Boobies.
Because we are in season during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and so many of us have a loved one who contracted breast cancer, we thought it would be valuable to team up with an organization to support the fight against breast cancer.”
Why do you think it is important for women to know about breast health?
“We think it is very important for women, especially young women, to be informed about breast health because we need to be aware of what is going on with our bodies.
We need to know what is normal and what is abnormal for us. We need to know our family’s health history and the likelihood of us contracting cancer. We must be prepared to confidently take on cancer and find it early if it arises in our lives.”
What are the main goals/missions of your organization?
“Check Your Boobies’ mission is to have every woman know her breasts. We created this non-profit organization to educate women about breast health in a frank, fun, and fear-free manner. We are dedicated to the prevention and early detection of breast cancer.”
Infographic courtesy of the American Cancer Society
It is important for us females to be knowledgeable on breast health. We hope that you can utilize these resources and become more aware of your own body—be proactive!
To learn more about Check Your Boobies, you check out their website or contact Kayla Driscoll, the program manager at kayla@checkyourboobies.org