Another perspective on Pinktober

You have to be living under a rock not to notice that EVERYTHING turns pink in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But as a company that's all pink everything all year round, we wanted to share another perspective on all the pinkness that has become as prevalent as pumpkin spice in October. 

You might remember that we introduced you to Kerry O'Riordan, the beautiful young women pictured above. Kerry was a former Simpie and was diagnosed with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer at the age of 29. You might further recall us telling you the sad news that Kerry lost her battle with MBC in April at the age of 31. 

While treatable, metastatic breast cancer (MBC) cannot be cured. The five-year survival rate for stage 4 breast cancer is 22 percent; median survival is three years. Annually, the disease takes 40,000 lives. In other words, the sad reality is that women, like Kerry, who are diagnosed with MBC don't get to wear pink ribbons to celebrate their cure, because they know they will not be cured. Their battle will be lost, it's just a question of when. (Read this mind opening article that looks at Pinktober from the perspective of someone living with this reality.)

A very small percentage of dollars raised in support of breast cancer research goes to the study of MBC and finding a cure for it. As a matter of fact, METAvivor is the only organization in the US that exclusively funds MBC research through a scientific peer-review process. The organization's mission is to transition metastatic breast cancer from a terminal diagnosis to a chronic, manageable disease with a decent quality of life.

So, we want to remind you this October to:

• Get your mammogram!! 
• Educate yourself on MBC and if you donate, consider donating to Metavivor so that one day all of those diagnosed with breast cancer can wear a pink ribbon to celebrate survival. 
• Don't use products containing parabens or phthalates (hidden in many fragrances!) that can potentially increase your risk. (Read more here.)

P.S. We know that there are many causes worthy of awareness. This one happens to be special to us and relevant to our industry which is why we choose to speak on it. 

We're bringing back the Caring for Kerry Bundle for the rest of October. 

All profits from sales of this bundle will be donated to Metavivor.