Help us uplift underprivileged survivors of breast cancer: Buy mushrooms in Pink Punnets this October Photo: The South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association
You may not know it but every member of the Reach for Recovery team is a breast cancer survivor herself. Even more amazing is that they are the only voluntary support structure for thousands of underprivileged women who have lost her breast(s) through this dreadful disease.
Shirley Gottschick, Chairperson of Reach for Recovery’s Johannesburg branch is passionate about Reach for Recovery’s Ditto Prostheses Project, which provides breast prostheses to those who cannot afford them. “It is a life-changing gift of hope for a mastectomy patient as she can face life again looking ‘normal’ and feeling confident!
“And remember,” she says, “your generous purchase of 250g pink punnets of whole or sliced white button mushrooms at Pick n Pay during October, is the power behind our annual Power of Pink campaign. The funds raised give financial power to Reach for Recovery’s Ditto Prostheses Project to purchase silicone breast prostheses for women who can’t afford reconstructive surgery after the trauma of breast cancer
“Breast cancer can happen to anyone, young and old,” affirms Reach for Recovery volunteer Rita Mphokwane. “So it’s best to get to know how to do your breast self-examination from a young age,” She encourages everyone to buy fresh mushrooms in the pink punnets because the women we help really appreciate the gift! And it’s also good to know that mushrooms have anti-cancer health benefits for the ones buying and eating them.”
Reach for Recovery motivational speaker Mokgadi Minah Sookane finds her volunteer work fulfilling. Whether she’s fundraising through the Power of Pink campaign or visiting patients in hospital, this is her message to survivors: “Be positive, take care of yourself and listen to your doctor! But most importantly, always know that we walk this road together.”
“Breast cancer also brings harsh realities into your life,” concludes Stephné Jacobs, National Chairperson of Reach for Recovery. “The South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association’s (SAMFA) annual Power of Pink fundraising campaign in conjunction with Pick n Pay is a wonderful way in which Reach for Recovery can make a very real difference to the future of uninsured women who had survived breast cancer. Everyone who buys pink punnets of mushrooms in October brings that ‘ray of hope’ to survivors.”
THE SCIENCE BEHIND MUSHROOMS AND BREAST CANCER
Women who eat just 10g of mushrooms every day seem to halve their risk of breast cancer. Source: Beckman Institute at the City of Hope Cancer Centre, University of Australia, Sydney, Zhejiang University in China
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