Breast cancer kills millions every year and YOU have the power to bring it down to zero. If detected early, breast cancer is curable 85% of the time.

A year ago Protect your Mom (PYM) was only a concept, a dream or just my personal war against breast cancer. Today PYM has made it to the headline of virtually all the newspapers in the UAE and was one of the top 5 nominees for the ADCB Emirates Woman Awards 2011.

PYM started off as a mother-daughter fight against breast cancer. The idea was born when breast cancer hit our family. Since ours is a family of doctors the lump was detected at stage 2. PYM endeavors to warn every woman about lumps and other signs of breast cancer. Once cancer spreads it can be fatal and yet very few women go for regular checkups, or even know that a simple self exam could possibly save their lives.

Borrowing the strategy of famous companies like Maggie, Mc Donald’s etc. pester power was used to beat breast cancer. If kids can pester their parents for iPhones and Blackberries why not make them pester their moms to do self exams? Women are usually too busy to worry about self exams, but if their children pester them they are likely to do it.

On July 21st, 2011 eight boys from The Republic, a student group in Dubai, decided to go bald to support PYM. During chemo patients lose their hair so the act was symbolic. The event captured half-page reports in all the major newspapers and was also covered by Virgin Radio and City 7 News. This was followed by other events in various schools and colleges in Dubai and even the first Pink Walkathon in Kochi.

Last year a contest was held inviting students to design skits, dances, posters, videos – anything to create awareness about lumps and other signs of breast cancer. Etihad Airways sponsored two return tickets as the prize. The same contest is going on right now. Email your entries to pym20101@hotmail.com before October 1st, 2012 to win certificates from AVON and fabulous prizes including two tickets to India/GCC countries.

Community work is given a lot of importance when students transfer. Check our website and facebook page for more information and entries submitted during 2011.

So pester your Mom to do a self exam right now and a mammogram every year. And tweet/BBM/FB about it. Protect your Mom. You will never get another one! During the last one year, students have supported the cause by designing skits, dances, advertisements, posters to spread the word. I call upon all the artists, singers, to spread the cause. Use your creativity to save a life.

In today’s world it takes only a minute to spread an idea around the world and yet we have people suffering and dying needlessly simply because they didn’t know. I have a dream of students around the world uniting against cancer and making sure one does not die just because they didn’t know.


Article Written By Premi Mathew, Founder of Protect Your Mom Campaign