Over 150 women came together in November for a very special celebration- to raise funds to empower and encourage women across Australia to never, EVER ignore a lump. Collectively, they raised a whopping, $7,740, a sum that will make a difference to the lives of many women facing a massive battle.
Hosted by Angela Sorpreso, our fabulous and fearless leader here at BellaArtista alongside her beautiful daughters, Natalie and Belinda, the event raised over $7,740 for Pink Hope, a charity founded to bridge the information gap for women at high risk of breast and ovarian cancer to provide emotional support and guidance as they understand their risk and change their future.
A startling fact is that 1 in 8 Australian women will receive a breast cancer diagnosis at some point in their life. Women in Angela’s life have been touched by cancer- her mother, her aunt and many of the women she calls colleagues and friends. Angela is also the mother of two daughters, and her efforts in hosting the Pink Hope event were as much dedicated to empowering them to be informed, as it was a tribute to the wonderful, inspirational fighting women in her life.
Angela’s goal for the evening was to shout out loud about breast cancer awareness and to inspire all the ladies present to be well informed. She invited three incredible speakers to share their knowledge and experience at the event:
Jane Scoble from Pink Hope shared her journey with her breast cancer after being identified as high risk, as well as her involvement with Pink Hope as an Ambassador and Volunteer. Jane is also Consumer Representative for Breast Cancer Network Australia and a Speakers Bureau Ambassador for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Dr Beena Kumar is a medical doctor, is a specialist pathologist and the Director of Anatomical Pathology at Monash Health, Victoria, Australia. Dr Beena is the designated pathologist for Monash Breast Screen and the Lymphoma Working Group at Monash Health and gave an incredibly informative presentation about risk factors, about the diagnosis and treatment process as well as what symptoms women should be aware of and responsive to.
Our final speaker, Kathy Ashton, a Medical Nutritionist and breast cancer survivor, shared her experience of moving from a simply lumpectomy to a full double mastectomy and reconstruction within 10 days, minus her nipples. Kathy had the room in tears of laughter- in response to singing happy birthday to Nanny’s nipples- and whilst her presentation shared the raw and brutal truth of breast cancer, her overwhelming message was one of joy, and of course hope.
Speaking of joy, there’s nothing like 150 women doing the nutbush to symbolise an evening of sisterhood and support! Many thanks to Disturbing the Peace, a fabulous band that belted out our favourite girl power songs and had the room dancing up a storm, in between eating up a storm, enjoying jelly shots and pink champagne and vying for our incredible prizes and donations provided by over 47 fabulous sponsors and supporters.
At the conclusion of the evening. Angela made a donation to Pink Hope in honour of her mother, her aunt and her daughters in excess of $7,740, an overwhelming amount that will go a long way to supporting women at high risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Almost equally importantly, over 150 women were given the message, loud and clear, to ‘know your risk and two change your future.
For more information about the incredible work of Pink Hope, or to donate directly to their efforts, please visit their website here.
