After her second pregnancy, Melanie Courtier feels a hard lump in one of her breasts and the nipple shrinks while feeding her baby. Caregivers question breastfeeding or the position of the infant. Due to insistence for several months, she ends up “getting an ultrasound” that reveals a left breast and realizing she’s had this sense of size since she was 27. She was at that time in her thirties. During her third chemotherapy treatment, she asked if there weren’t other women her age around and met Christelle Rakotoarimanana, 32, a mother of two young children.
“beautiful and powerful”
“I’ve had so many questions, Mélanie’s book. Should I show my skull to my 6-month-old and 2-year-olds? How do we explain illness to them? etc. Sandra has become the godmother of cancer in a way. We tell ourselves things we don’t tell our loved ones because we’re protecting them. She showed me her post-mastectomy scar I saw a beautiful, strong woman, and no injury. As a result, when I did the operation myself, I felt less anxious about my identity.”
Their personal experience shows two things. One: there is less support for young patients, and two: lack of information can lead to a delay in diagnosis. Then they founded Jeune et rose in Saint-André-de-Cubzac. After five years of existence, the association is spreading throughout France thanks to the ambassadors and some are setting up branches for it. With the support of the Regional Health Agency (ARS), the New Aquitaine Region and the Bergonié Foundation, Jeune et rose works on three axes: supporting young women with cancer, raising awareness among professionals and reaching out to the general public.
Feeling saves lives
In better shape than anyone else to talk about, the Girls of the Pink Power have produced the movie “Pink Alert” where patients and caregivers explain and give testimonials to professionals. It is distributed in particular to the University Hospital Center (CHU) of Bordeaux with which the association has established a partnership, in the schools of midwives and nurses or the medical universities of Bordeaux, Lyon and Lille.
And they created Tétonnantes, a network of young women living with cancer to share experiences and provide answers. Speakers: Beauticians, nutritionists and people who are able to offer solutions for everyday life because these women are often young mothers. “Pinky”, as they call themselves, also organizes Télététon, a course that includes many activities to understand breast cancer. The pouet-pouet workshop is their main tool. Helps understand how important breast contact is in the fight against breast cancer. We touch silicone busts with eight abnormal signs of cancer. Even if our mind knows that we ourselves can be touched, this sense of touch anchors the evocation of risk in the body and inevitably generates a special interest in our chest after this experience. “Men are also encouraged to participate because in doing so they can save lives,” says Melanie.
This workshop is for both high schools and companies. It costs 2,500 euros. Jeune et rose are not against some sponsors!
Contact: [email protected]
