Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has joined forces with Gemma Ainger to launch a brand new app referred to as My Breast Pal.
The app’s mission is to assist folks examine in with their our bodies. Easy, supportive, and utterly free, the app sends a month-to-month reminder to carry out a self-check and lets customers log any adjustments shortly and privately. The tone is heat, constructive and stigma-free – as a result of checking your boobs, chest or pecs shouldn’t really feel scary or medical.
My Breast Pal was created by Gemma Ainger, a advertising skilled from Guernsey who was recognized with breast most cancers at 42, after she observed one thing uncommon within the bathe, though she hardly ever checked herself, felt wholesome and had no household historical past.
Weeks later, Gemma was recognized with stage 3 invasive breast most cancers that had already unfold to her lymph nodes. Throughout her surgical procedure, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, and in remission, she put the vitality that she had into creating one thing that might make an actual distinction and have a constructive affect on numerous lives.
From Gemma’s expertise, if she was checking frequently then maybe she might have caught it sooner – making an attempt to stop others from being in the same place was one among her important motivations when creating the app. My Breast Pal was designed to make month-to-month self-checks fast, straightforward, and utterly regular, creating constructive reinforcement round breast well being, and embed a very essential routine.
The app has been launched in collaboration with breast most cancers survivor Amy Dowden MBE, star of BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing. From her personal prognosis, Amy is aware of the significance of early detection of breast most cancers and has since been utilizing her public platform to advertise this message.
Talking in regards to the app, Amy says: “When Gemma advised me about her plans for My Breast Pal it was precisely what I had been on the lookout for – one thing easy and constructive folks can do to remind them to examine month-to-month, know their our bodies, and act early. I instantly wished to collaborate together with her to make the app the perfect it may be and attain as many individuals as potential. I understand how very important it’s that breast most cancers is detected early and if you happen to’re not checking your chest then who’s? It doesn’t matter how outdated you’re, there’s no cause to not obtain this app, it might actually save your life.”
“It’s not about worry or most cancers,” Gemma provides. “It’s about self-care, consciousness and confidence. We must always all know what’s regular for our personal our bodies and we should always all be proactively taking care of ourselves – it’s one of many easiest methods we are able to shield our well being.
“I’m so excited to have Amy be part of me in launching My Breast Pal! Her breast most cancers journey is just like mine, and thru first-hand expertise coupled with a lot enthusiasm and drive for breast well being consciousness, I really consider that collectively, we are able to make an enormous distinction. We’re on a mission to make self-checks regular by turning the My Breast Pal reminders right into a lifelong routine!”
The app was constructed with medical enter from main breast specialists, authorized steerage from Appleby International Legislation Agency, and the technical experience of digital company, Indulge Media, making certain that it’s medically accountable, empowering and protected to make use of.
With 1 in 7 ladies prone to develop breast most cancers of their lifetime and practically half of ladies within the UK admitting they don’t examine frequently, My Breast Pal goals to make self-exams as routine as brushing your enamel.
Gemma’s long-term purpose is to deliver My Breast Pal into colleges, universities and workplaces, and to collaborate with well being and life-style manufacturers that share the identical message – early detection saves lives. The app may even use anonymised knowledge to trace consciousness tendencies and measure whether or not extra individuals are checking frequently.
“Not all breast most cancers could be noticed from a self-exam however wouldn’t you favor to be able to know your regular and act quick? I see this as a superpower that we should always all have. Beginning in our twenties, if extra folks get into the behavior of checking by means of their lifetime, we are able to catch extra instances early, leading to higher, extra constructive outcomes” Gemma says. “That’s what that is all about – being proactive about breast well being and feeling assured in recognizing adjustments.”
My Breast Pal is obtainable to obtain now on the App Retailer and Google Play. Take a look at the official web site and Instagram pages for extra data.
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