Whats the real story about breasts for the media?

Ok I admit it. I have been a bit angry this week! And that's because there has been a great deal about breasts in the press last week. Our media is almost as obsessed by them as they are with tales of the royals...and of course one of the stories had them both. I guess we aren't surprised that the Duchess of Cambridge has them? Are we ? Is it legitimate to photograph them and publish them without her consent...I don't think so.

But that's not the big story for me. This week a petition was launched to end page 3 in The Sun .3http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/dominic-mohan-take-the-bare-boobs-out-of-the-sun-nomorepage3. When I last looked it stood at over 30,000 signatures. By people who believe that showing women in this way diminishes all of us, male and female. It seems bizarre that we are still having this debate. How can women be seen as equals when popular newspapers portray them like this?

But that's still not the big story for me. THE story about breast is the fact that more and more women are being diagosed every year with breast cancer. And we need to address this! 
Just four years ago I started this role as Director of Breakthrough Breast Cancer in Scotland. At that time we said there were just over 4,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer each year. And this year it's more that 4,500 who will be diagnosed. Such an increase in such a short time. And yes it's still true that 1,000 women lose their lives to breast cancer each year. For every diagnosis there are so many lives affected and for every life lost there are so many other lives changed for ever. The money raised through a myriad of pink adorned fundraising events will help us fund our crucial work; the research , the campaigning the awareness raising, all aimed at ending the fear of breast cancer for good. Through all our work we want to stop women and men getting breast cancer and to stop them dying from it. Simple and vital as a goal but complex and challenging to achieve.But we have the ambition to do this and we cant do it without the help of so many who share our hope and ambition.

So thats why I am angry. Lets have the media talking about the real reason why breasts are so important. And even better join with us in trying to change breast cancer for good.

Reasons to be cheerful. It's a busy month ahead and a crucial for funding all our work and whats more we get to meet so many fantastic people wanting to make a difference. Thanks to all of you making a difference for so many people affected by breast cancer.
PS  Cara is settling in well. It's hard to remember life without her!