LIFESTYLE NEWS - Breast cancer is never just one story.

Every diagnosis, treatment decision and journey through recovery is personal. And for many women, the need for practical support continues long after treatment has ended.

That is the thinking behind the annual Power of Pink campaign, which brings together the South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association (SAMFA), Pick n Pay and breast cancer support organisation Reach for Recovery (RFR) to provide practical assistance to women who have undergone mastectomies.

“And because it is so personal, we believe every woman facing breast cancer should be treated with empathy and dignity - and have the same access to quality care, regardless of whether she can afford it,” says Stephanie van Deventer, national manager of Reach for Recovery.

Beyond awareness: practical support after mastectomy

Throughout October, shoppers can support the campaign by choosing fresh mushrooms in distinctive pink punnets at Pick n Pay stores nationwide.

For every pink punnet sold, R1 is donated to Reach for Recovery's Ditto Project, which provides high-quality external silicone breast prostheses to women who have undergone mastectomies and cannot afford reconstructive surgery or a prosthesis through private healthcare or medical aid.

“When shoppers choose a pink punnet at Pick n Pay, they take home a nutritious and delicious ingredient while also helping a woman at a profoundly personal time,” says Ross Richardson, SAMFA chairperson and a long-standing supporter of the campaign.

“That is the real power of this long-standing partnership.”

Restoring comfort and confidence

A mastectomy can affect much more than a woman's physical appearance. It can influence how she feels about her body, femininity, confidence and sense of belonging.

A properly fitted breast prosthesis can help restore physical balance and comfort while supporting confidence as women move forward after surgery.

The Ditto Project's silicone prostheses are individually matched according to size, shape, colour and texture. They are fitted with care by members of Reach for Recovery's peer-support team - trained volunteers who are themselves breast cancer survivors.

Their understanding comes from lived experience.

The volunteers visit patients in hospitals and clinics, provide practical information and offer reassurance from someone who has travelled a similar road.

More than 10,900 women supported

Since the Ditto Project was launched through the Power of Pink campaign in 2011, more than 10,900 women have received free, fitted silicone breast prostheses, representing an investment of more than R9.87 million.

Around 2,000 women have benefited during the past two years alone.

A comparable prosthesis can cost up to R8,000 in the private sector, potentially placing it beyond the reach of women who do not have the financial means or healthcare cover to pay for one.

Reach for Recovery supports more than 5,000 breast cancer patients each year and fits more than 800 silicone prostheses annually.

Its work recognises that there is no single experience of breast cancer. Diagnoses, treatments, circumstances and definitions of recovery differ from woman to woman.

Enjoy fresh mushrooms everyday. Photo: Christine Siracusa, Unsplash

A closer look at mushrooms

Fresh mushrooms also feature in the broader conversation around healthy eating and breast cancer.

A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis led by researchers at Penn State College of Medicine examined studies involving mushroom consumption and cancer risk.

The researchers reported that consuming around 18 grams of mushrooms a day - approximately two medium-sized mushrooms - was associated with a lower overall cancer risk compared with eating no mushrooms.

Among the cancers examined, the strongest association was observed for breast cancer.

However, an association in observational research does not establish that mushrooms prevent cancer. The finding is best viewed as part of the wider evidence around diet and health rather than as a breast cancer prevention claim.

Ubuntu in action

For 15 years, SAMFA, Pick n Pay and Reach for Recovery have brought growers, retailers, shoppers and volunteers together through the Power of Pink campaign.

The initiative offers a simple example of Ubuntu in action: an everyday shopping choice, multiplied across thousands of baskets, can translate into meaningful practical support for women rebuilding their lives after a mastectomy.

As Reach for Recovery puts it, there is no single “right” way to experience breast cancer.

Whatever a woman's circumstances, and wherever she is on that journey, practical help, understanding and hope can make a meaningful difference.

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