Aanii nwiijkiwenyig (Hello my friends)!
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. This month, I decided to release two limited edition Pink Resilient Sun Shirts with a portion of the proceeds from the sales of this shirt going to Women's College Hospital Breast Centre.
Why WCH Breast Centre? Because I'm a patient there.
After speaking to doctors about my family’s multigenerational history of breast cancer, I was referred to the Breast Centre, but first I had to undergo various tests including two mammograms and breast ultrasounds. These tests were sent to the geneticist at WCH who determined based on past family testing that I do not have any known cancer gene. However, due to my family history, I am still at higher risk of developing breast cancer - twice the risk of the general population to be more specific.
Now, at only 33 years old, I am a high-risk patient of the Breast Centre and have more screening to do. In September 2024, I had my third mammogram and my first breast MRI. Next week, I have my third breast ultrasound. I’ve been assured that all this testing is in an effort to catch any potential cancer early, but with so much attention on one area of my body, it is hard not to imagine it happening to me.
If I look outside of my own worries for a minute, I can recall in the first year of running Pre&Peri that I was at a market selling my first few products and someone told me how the Resilient Sun T-Shirt spoke to them. They had been through medical procedures which connected them to the message, however, they asked if I had it in a long-sleeved version because they wanted to hide the marks of the testing and/or treatment they had been through. I really felt for this person and wanted to provide the shirt they wanted, but I wasn’t in a position at that time to put out another style of shirt. Three years later, I still remember much of that conversation and decided that, if I want to put out a pink version of my Resilient Sun T-Shirt for breast cancer awareness, I need to include a long-sleeved t-shirt.
In speaking to hundreds of people at various markets and events, I have come to learn that the message of resilience resonates with many people for many reasons including medical conditions, addiction, and mental health struggles. Everyone needs a reminder that they are resilient now and then, and this pink shirt project is a way to do that while also contributing to a medical facility that is helping people every day who are affected by breast cancer.
You can check out both Pink Resilient Sun T-Shirts here: one long-sleeved and one short.
To learn more about the Rising Sun motif, click here.
Baamaapii (Until next time)!
- Caitlin Wemigwans, Owner/Designer Pre&Peri