According to statistics, around 170 women in Dubai are diagnosed with breast and/or ovarian cancer annually. And this October, we’re thinking about how, with the help of the colour pink, awareness can be improved, and breast and ovarian cancer can be prevented.
And Cosmo cover girl and health, wellness and beauty activist, Megan Pormer, has something to say about painting the town pink. She believes that in doing so, we are spreading the true significance behind the pink ribbon and encouraging proactivity among empowered women, inspiring Middle Eastern women and women globally to take charge of their health, and control over their bodies.
Megan is very passionate about raising awareness on the matter as well as bringing light to the benefits of DNA testing as a preventative factor that could contribute to the solution. She firmly believes in the power of a 30 second swab sample as a small price to pay for a lifetime of personalised knowledge on your own health and inclinations, and believes you should too.
“Did you know that 98 per cent of women who have breast cancer can actually fight through it and survive, if it’s detected early enough? 98 per cent! That’s a number so much higher than the survival rate we have now. I really think that women (and men too) need to learn more about their own bodies first, in order to know how to combat the curveballs that they are faced with in life later- like the possibility of breast or ovarian cancer,” Megan told us. “DNA tests are currently the biggest saving grace when it comes to that. One of the reasons I advocate these tests so strongly is so that I can be a part of the movement and inspire women to want to better themselves and their health. I want to paint the whole town pink, and I want to do it hand in hand with everyone who wants to join me in celebrating life, prevention and strength to fight on.”
Megan also says that it is her mission this month, to partner up with as many different local organizations in the UAE as she can in order to support and be the voice of all women fighting against/with breast and ovarian cancer by talking about the benefits of DNA testing, healthy lifestyles and other preventative measures that we can take.
She finds that it is her Middle Eastern cultural roots which have drawn here back to the UAE to speak out against something so close to her heart, and she is currently working with The Blowout Bar in Dubai, a local beauty, hairs and nails hotspot to endorse a “Paint the town Pink” campaign with some beauty-fabulous incentives involved. Hint: they include free nail colours with the selection of a pink ribbon.
“Let’s start big, or start small, or start somewhere in between, but key phrase here is ‘let’s start’. By taking the initiative to detect and prevent, we are taking a global initiative to rise together, enable one another, and do great things together,” Megan went on to say. “We are painting the town pink with our feminine power, and it’s going to be the most beautiful decision we’ve ever made, after the paint dries.”