Strand Center at Pinkathon Bengaluru 2017 – Let’s go Pink Sisters!

Pinkathon needs no introduction! We all know that it is a solidarity event organized to spread awareness of breast cancer, but most importantly to show women that they are not alone in this fight against breast cancer and encourage them to be heard and seen!

Strand Life Sciences sponsored and participated in the Bengaluru Pinkathon held on 29th January 2017. This was the fifth year of the Pinkathon event and Strand Life Sciences has been a part of this journey for all these years with sponsorship and participation in various runs!

As part of our sponsorship this year we were both at the Carnival Days and the event, ready with games and a Lucky Draw to entertain the crowds but also plenty of information and an open ear for people who had questions about their breast cancer risk or treatment. We were also joined by one of our patients who had benefited tremendously from the treatment decision her oncologist could make after she received a positive test result for a BRCA mutation. Thanks Meena for making the trip and running Pinkathon with us!

Check out some of our favorite photos from the event, or head over to @StayAheadOfCancer on Facebook for all the pics!

People visiting our stall were definitely interested in understanding their risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer as well as the importance of genetic testing. A lot of women were genuinely surprised to learn that the number of cases of breast and ovarian cancer is three times as high in India as they are in the West.

Research at Strand Life sciences has shown that Indian families have specific mutations that are passed down from generation to generation. These defective genes make Indian women susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer at a very young age (below 40 years) as well! In fact, some of the patients we have diagnosed were as young as 25 years old!

If you think you or one of your family members might be affected by hereditary cancer, do not hesitate to reach out to us at 1-800-1022-695 (toll-free in India), or write to us at stayaheadofcancer@strandls.com to make an appointment with a genetic counsellor. There’s also lots of information on this blog and our website about genetic counselling and genetic testing to keep yourself informed.