The Young Breast Cancer Project: Our Newest Charity Partner!
The Young Breast Cancer Project (YBCP) grew from a photography project spearheaded by our organization’s founder, Melissa “Missy” Peters. As a photographer and breast cancer survivor, Missy’s Breast Cancer Portrait Project (BCPP) told the stories of 100 young breast cancer survivors and thrivers, aged 40 and under, in their own words and through their powerful portraits. What she found was that so many of the project’s participants had experienced delayed or misdiagnoses and had trouble accessing timely treatment, overwhelmingly based on age and the assumption that these women were “too young” for breast cancer. From there, a group of determined survivors and allies impacted by the project decided that enough was enough, that medical providers and average-risk people needed to be educated more on this issue, and that our stories had enough power in them to change the landscape of young breast cancer. In late 2021, the Young Breast Cancer Project was born.
The Young Breast Cancer Project advocates for early detection of disease through breast health education. We elevate young survivors’ stories and forge alliances with the medical community to reduce delayed diagnoses and help save lives. Our “triangle of efforts” aims to create an open dialogue about young breast cancer between the breast cancer survivor/thriver community, the medical community, and the average-risk young adult population to bust the common myths that surround young breast cancer. We do this through original research, education, and advocacy.
To highlight why we do what we do, here is a summary of alarming statistics collected from our 2022 community-based survey of 455 young adults (<40) diagnosed with breast cancer:
88% of young breast cancer patients surveyed found their own breast or lymph abnormality
96% had no known genetic link before diagnosis
62% reported they were never educated about breast health by a physician
36% faced delays in diagnosis
70% of respondents, encompassing those who self-reported both prompt and delayed diagnoses, made extra efforts to get diagnosed after identifying a symptom and seeking medical care (such as getting a second opinion, pushing to revisit the issue with their physician, requesting an earlier appointment than initially given, paying for care out of pocket, etc.)
YBCP is thrilled to partner with Know Your Lemons - a true kindred organization in the young breast cancer education space. Our aligned goal to expand outreach and education to the average-risk young adult population furthers both our missions to strengthen education on prevention, signs and symptoms, and open communication surrounding breast cancer. KYL’s proven success in the breast cancer education space, combined with YBCP’s community of young survivor storytellers, will undoubtedly amplify the message that while young people are not immune to breast cancer, they can learn to become proactive participants in their own breast health.
Find out more about YBCP at youngbreastcancer.org/
AUTHOR BIO: Aleah La Flair
Aleah La Flair is a young breast cancer survivor and advocate. Just a few years after her mother had a difficult time getting diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Aleah knew she needed to take the lump she discovered in her own breast seriously. In 2015 at age 31, she was diagnosed with Stage 3 ER+ HER2+ breast cancer, with no genetic mutations despite her mother’s history. Since then, Aleah has dedicated herself to championing young breast cancer causes, which led her to join the Young Breast Cancer Project as a board member and volunteer.
