Kristin Winchell’s mom was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 51. After aggressive treatment and a double mastectomy she was healthy for eight years. She only lived eight months after her second diagnosis of Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. “My mom always thought that the products on store shelves and the foods she ate were free of toxic chemicals.”
Kristin is among dozens of people in our community who have submitted their stories as part of the Breast Cancer Fund’s Beyond the Pink storytelling project. During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, when pink ribbons blanket everything from cosmetics to food cans, urging us to be aware of breast cancer, Beyond the Pink works to shift the conversation from awareness to prevention.
Could their voices help pave the way for the future of the breast cancer movement? Could they help spur reform of the broken Toxic Substances Control Act? We hope so.
Despite decades and billions of dollars spent on breast cancer research, the number of women diagnosed with the disease continues to rise. In just a generation (since 1978) we’ve witnessed a 40-percent increase in breast cancer incidence. Beyond the Pink demands that we reverse the trend.
A strong and rapidly growing body of scientific evidence points to toxic chemicals found in a wide range of sources. Industrial chemicals like formaldehyde and vinyl chloride, known or suspected carcinogens that can be found in products that we use every day, from cleaning products to plastics, from furniture to shower curtains, and more. Yet the EPA does not have the authority to ban hazardous chemicals that can increase our risk for disease. That must change.
Raise your voice with us this October. Pledge to go Beyond the Pink in honor of your mom, or your daughter, or Kristin, or Kenzie, or Erin.
Together we can go beyond the pink and change the odds for women and men across this country.