Looking back at Breast Cancer events by Europa Donna member countries: a holiday special edition! 🎄
For this holiday season, Europa Donna Coalition extends heartfelt congratulations to all our members countries for their remarkable contributions throughout Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October. Thank you to those countries that organized events with a special focus on Breast Health Day and prevention on or around the 15 of October (BHD).
In this article, we’re thrilled to highlight impactful events and campaigns carried out by the Europa Donna members that have shared their initiatives with us; each playing a vital role in raising awareness, promoting early detection, and offering support to people affected by breast cancer.
🌸 Armenia: Empowering Businesswomen for Health
Europa Donna Armenia launched the “Business Ladies for Health” initiative, mobilizing businesswomen to advocate for the well-being of women affected by breast cancer, fostering a growing network and a united community in the fight against this disease.
❄️ Belgium: Advocating for Access to Care
Europa Donna Belgium hosted a symposium focused on the rights and needs of women with breast cancer, with a spotlight on equitable access to care and reimbursement, ensuring no one is left behind in the battle for better treatment and support.
✨ Croatia: Celebrating Breast Health Day
Europa Donna Croatia hosted a meaningful gathering with the International Pink Sisters organisation on October 15th, marking Breast Health Day by sharing experiences and strengthening the network of support for all people affected by breast cancer.
🫂 Cyprus: Connecting Communities for Awareness
Europa Donna Cyprus led several initiatives in October, including the Pink Silhouettes Walk on October 5th and activities across the country to celebrate Breast Health Day on October 15th, spreading vital information on breast cancer prevention. They also held a press conference and Women and Health conference in September, addressing women’s health as a holistic issue.
👯 Greece: A Day of Wellness and Self-Care
Europa Donna Greece hosted Breast Wellness Day, an exclusive event dedicated to wellness and self-care for women who have experienced breast cancer. The day featured a variety of empowering activities, including fitness sessions, nutritional advice, tips for self-care and managing negative emotions, lymphatic facial massage, yoga and meditation, an open dialogue about sex and pelvic floor health, and a theatrical dialogue between two survivor authors. This holistic initiative provided participants with valuable tools for physical and emotional well-being, fostering community and strength.
📣 Italy: 30 Years of Advocacy and Awareness
In October 2024, Europa Donna Italia celebrated their 30th anniversary with the launch of the book “Se, no!” at the Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli in Milan. The book, wich can be found in bookshops across Italy including airports, shares personal stories from patients, doctors, and volunteers. They also launched “Non c’è tempo da perdere” campaign, raising awareness about metastatic breast cancer, as well as introducing the “One Health for Breast Cancer” project at the Italian Parliament.
🩷 Lithuania: Educating the Next Generation
On October 15th, Europa Donna Lithuania hosted an event at the National Library, lit up in pink for the occasion. Additionally, they launched the “Oncologists at High School Students” project to educate young people about cancer and continued advocating for reimbursement of breast implants for women with inherited BRCA mutations.
🏃♀️➡️ Luxembourg: Running for Awareness
Europa Donna Luxembourg organized the 23rd Annual Breast Cancer Run “Broschtkriibslaf”, uniting the community in solidarity with those affected by breast cancer, in collaboration with the Luxembourg Basketball Federation and Think Pink Lux.
🍋 Netherlands: Educating About Dense Breasts
In the Netherlands, Europa Donna Netherlands launched a petition advocating for better education and screening tailored to women with dense breasts, and prepared a major awareness campaign in collaboration with Know Your Lemons, focusing on the 12 key signals of breast health.
💫 Norway: Raising Awareness on the importance of screening
Europa Donna Norway focused on research in October, sharing several social media posts and opinion pieces about the importance of breast cancer screening. They also held a conference for members with metastatic breast cancer, offering support and sharing valuable information.
✊ Poland: Empowering Communities for Prevention
Europa Donna Poland participated in multiple events for Pink October, including the 20th District Health Promotion Conference, school meetings, and held a Breast Health Day event on October 15th encouraging screenings and prevention. They also organized a run titled “Zawsze pier(w)si przed rakiem piersi” and facilitated fitness sessions at the Trzy Korony Fitness centre, emphasizing the importance of regular checkups.
💡 Romania: Illuminating for Awareness
Europa Donna Romania was part of the Pink Illumination initiative on October 1st, with prominent buildings like the Romanian Academy in Bucharest and Nasdaq Building in Times Square illuminated for National Day Against Breast Cancer. Additionally, they launched a Mobile Unit for digital mammograms, providing free mammograms in small cities and rural areas across the country.
📒 Serbia: Educating and Empowering Communities
Europa Donna Serbia’s “Mom, Be Healthy” project, launched in October 2024, saw students from four Belgrade schools distributing 3,850 leaflets promoting breast health. Alongside other national organisations, Europa Donna Serbia ran awareness campaigns in Zlatibor and Prijepolje, particularly targeting rural areas, to stress the importance of regular breast checks.
📽️ Slovakia: Video Campaign for Early Detection
Europa Donna Slovakia launched a video campaign on October 15th, emphasizing the significance of prevention and early detection of breast cancer, which reached a broad audience through social media. They also partnered with the Ministry of Health to run social media campaigns addressing critical issues like treatment side effects after treatment and quality of life.
🧊 Switzerland: The Pink Cube of Awareness
Once again, Europa Donna Switzerland organized the Pink Cube initiative to raise awareness about breast cancer and emphasize the importance of early detection. Visitors were invited to stop by for a free consultation and breast check with a gynecologist. They also had the opportunity to learn how to perform a self-exam and identify the early signs of breast cancer.
🎤 Turkey: Conferences and Training for Awareness
Europa Donna Turkey hosted the Breastanbul 2024 International Conference from October 10–12, uniting experts to advance breast cancer research and treatment. Established in 2014, Breastanbul serves as a hub of scientific excellence, promoting cutting-edge research and innovative patient care. In addition, Europa Donna Turkey organized awareness seminars, nursing courses, and Breast Health Day events in collaboration with the Istanbul Municipality to raise awareness citywide.
🌹 UK: Raising Awareness Across Communities
Europa Donna UK hosted a series of events, including a ‘Boobs & Bingo’ event for those with learning disabilities on October 4th, and multiple awareness talks throughout the month. In organizing several awareness campaigns across for October, ED UK also participated in the Christie NHS initiative for a new Muslim Cancer Support Group in Manchester.
Europa Donna is incredibly proud of the collective efforts and initiatives carried out by its members in Breast Cancer Awareness Month. These inspiring actions, from awareness campaigns to educational events and fundraising activities, showcase our unwavering commitment to raising awareness and supporting those affected by breast cancer.
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all 47 members of Europa Donna for their outstanding work, and we look forward to continuing our mission together in the year ahead, making a difference across Europe, step by step!
