October is breast cancer awareness month

October is breast cancer awareness month, and it is one we mark every year at La Mode. The numbers are worth saying out loud: 1 in 7 women and 1 in 556 men worldwide are affected by breast cancer. Yes, men can get breast cancer too.

So this month we wear pink, for the ta-tas. The colour is the easy part. It starts conversations, and conversations are how the message travels around a town like ours.

Early detection saves lives

That is the heart of it. Early detection saves lives. Keep up your check-ups, and check for lumps every month. If something changes or does not feel right, talk to your GP. Nothing we say here replaces that advice, and we would rather say it plainly than dress it up.

Breast cancer does not choose one kind of person. Knowing the numbers helps. Knowing your own body helps more, and it is something only you can do.

Love and support one another

Gympie looks after its own, and most of us know somebody who has been through this. Sometimes the support is practical: a lift to an appointment, a meal left at the door, minding the kids for an afternoon. Sometimes it is simply sitting with someone and letting them talk. That last one is something all of us can do.

If you are going through treatment, or you are close to someone who is, you are welcome in the salon exactly as you are. We will take things at your pace, keep it simple and keep it kind. Come in for a chat. Or come in for something that makes you feel more like yourself again. Both are good reasons to sit down in the chair.

Wear pink this month if you can. A ribbon, a shirt, a fresh set of nails. Keep up your check-ups, and look after each other.