This New Breast App is Saving Lives with a Fun Challenge this October!
Viral campaign #knowyourlemons promotes award winning early detection app for breast health and period tracking through the #know12give12 challenge
The Know Your Lemons® app is based on the viral #knowyourlemons campaign that has reached over 1 billion people online. Responsible for saving lives through its clever approach to educating about the 12 symptoms of breast cancer using a visual of lemons, the app expands on its stunning images to navigate patients for early detection, be in charge of their breast health, and track their period too.
[Salt Lake City, Utah] Life has given you lemons, you just don’t know them—yet. An award winning early detection app for breast health and period tracking has already saved a few lives. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, women (and men) will have a new way to manage their breast health for early detection when it comes to breast cancer. When found at the earliest stage, survival rates are 99%. But with just 9% of women doing self-exams monthly with confidence, and mammograms down 63% due to COVID last year, more patients are now at risk of late detection.
With the #know12give12 challenge, the Know Your Lemons Foundation is promoting knowledge about the 12 symptoms of breast cancer by asking patients to download the Know Your Lemons app to “know the 12” and then give $12 at knowyourlemons.org/donate to help others get educated too. The goal? Increase early detection for breast cancer.
Breast cancer survivor Marta Sobanska, from Poland said, “Because of the knowledge I had through Know Your Lemons I advocated for myself and insisted I get a mammogram. Two weeks later, I was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. I was able to avoid chemo because it was caught early. The Know Your Lemons campaign saved my life.”
Two approaches are needed for early detection: getting screened according to one’s risk when no symptoms are present, and reporting symptoms when a change is found. The Know Your Lemons® app helps patients to do both.
First, it assesses a patient’s breast cancer risk through a creative interface that generates a custom screening plan for when and how often to get screened. This activates reminders for when to get a mammogram, and other tests if at a higher risk level, which can also be booked directly on the app.
Second, it teaches how to self-exam with breast coach, Mona Lisa, through an entertaining audio guide and engaging video. If a breast change is discovered, the app reviews the symptom with the patient and guides them on how to report it to their physician in a timely way.
Another unique feature is the option to use a beautiful period tracker to track when breasts naturally swell and become tender and lumpy as part of the menstrual cycle. Understanding “breast cycles” can make all the difference in feeling confident to self-exam and to report changes. Doing it at the wrong time in a breast cycle can mislead women into thinking a normal lump is a concern, or can mean a mammogram isn’t taken at the optimal time. So the app sends a notification timed to each individual’s body.
“The most common story I hear from women is how our #knowyourlemons campaign helped them recognize a symptom and report it to a doctor that saved their life,” says Dr. Corrine Ellsworth-Beaumont, the creator and designer behind the campaign and the founder of the Know Your Lemons Foundation. “By empowering women to advocate for themselves in a guided and personalized way, this app can make a difference in saving their life. By donating as part of this #know12give12 challenge, you can help us educate more women, and men, around the world who desperately need this information.”
Patient Cindy Poole, from Lancaster, California, said the app helped her discover her lump, “My self exams improved greatly after discovering the Know Your Lemons app. The techniques I learned helped me discover breast cancer at its earliest stage!”
The app is free and available for iPhone and Android worldwide. The screening assessment is available with US and UK recommendations, and will soon be expanded to more countries and in more languages based on funds raised through the challenge.
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For more information, screenshots, and videos, visit knowyourlemons.org/app
Know Your Lemons Media Contact
Aysha Strawn, aysha@knowyourlemons.com. 801-410-0231 knowyourlemons.org @knowyourlemons
About Know Your Lemons Foundation
The Know Your Lemons Foundation was established in 2014 by designer Dr. Corrine Ellsworth-Beaumont after losing two grandmothers and a close friend to breast cancer. Using colorful, memorable visuals with lemons as a metaphor for breasts, the #knowyourlemons campaign has reached over 1 billion people around the world in 31 languages, becoming the most successful breast cancer campaign globally. Their global network has built over 360 trained volunteer educators that teach breast health classes in their communities. Their “Know Your Lemons” breast health app won a coveted Webby Award nomination, and is launching a new version October 1st . The app assesses breast cancer risk, creates a custom screening plan, teaches self-exam and sends reminders timed to an individual’s body. More information can be found at knowyourlemons.org/app and breastschool.org.
SAMPLE IMAGES BELOW.