Summary

Letter from the Breast Cancer Network Australia addressed to 'Dear Supporter'. It is a registration acknowledgment for the Field of Women Live event on 6 May 2005. The Field of Women Live event was part of a suite of successful marketing campaigns to raise funds for and awareness of breast cancer in Australia. The event saw 11,500 women (the same number diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia each year) form the shape of a woman on the MCG. It was so popular that organisers were forced to turn people away.

Other fundraising and awareness campaigns that year were: AFl clubs signing pink Sherrin footballs which were then auctioned on eBay, and the sale of pink items such as Baker's Delight special Breast cancer 'pink' buns.

Physical Description

Typed letter on Breast Cancer Network Australia Letterhead.

Significance

This item represents the different methods and items used to raise awareness of and funds for breast cancer which affects most Australians either directly, through a positive diagnosis, or indirectly, having a family member, friend or colleague diagnosed with the disease.

Breast Cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women, in Australia there are approximately 11,700 new cases of breast cancer and 2,600 deaths each year. The risk of breast cancer increases with age, and one in every nine Australian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer by the age of 85.

Early detection is the best method of survival with the 5-year survival rate for women diagnosed with breast cancer being 88.3% in 2006. Since the mid 1990s there has been an emphasis on raising awareness of breast cancer, the importance of early detection and risk factors which saw a 27% decrease in the number of women who lost their lives to breast cancer between 1994 and 1996.

The use of pink as a part of breast cancer awareness and fundraising campaigns is common, from the wearing of pink and selling of pink products, such as pink ribbons or pink bottled water, to larger events such as the field of women live, which saw 11,500 women wearing pink ponchos form the shape of a woman on the MCG. The use of funds raised via these initiatives goes towards prevention programs, support services and research.

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