Aamina Sheikh leads breast cancer awareness campaign

Model-turned-actor launches YouMatter, an app that encourages girls to conduct self-examination .

KARACHI:

Model-turned-actor Aamina Sheikh has more to her portfolio than big beauty brands and stellar film projects. The talented lady is now the ambassador of a breast cancer awareness project, through which she hopes to educate young women about the perils of the disease.

With the help of her brother Reehan Sheikh and sister-in-law Sophia Sheikh, Aamina has developed a smartphone app that helps women understand breast cancer. The free application YouMatter, which was launched on November 1, is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

“Breast cancer can be cured if it is diagnosed early on,” she says. “Each woman above 20, needs to conduct a self-examination to see what is not normal,” she adds.



“YouMatter educates us on how to check one’s breasts for irregularities while standing, sitting or lying down – even when you are in the shower. When the body is moist, it becomes easier to detect any irregularity,” explains Aamina. “Most importantly, it is mandatory for any girl to examine her breasts five to eight days after her period ends.” She urges that early detection is key, since the battle can be fought with a high chance of success. “Once the first stage [of cancer] is over, the patient is in severe danger, as 88% of the cancer is cured in the early stage.”

Aamina was recently present for a three-day campaign in Lahore, conducted by Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital (SKMCH). She toured several education institutes where she encouraged students not to shy away from self-examination and get themselves treated as soon as possible.

“Education regarding breast cancer has a lot to do with schooling and the environment. If school curricula teach girls about functions that different organs perform, including their breasts, it will help them feel more confident in discussing problems of this nature,” she said.

“I joined hands with SKMCH after I heard some heart-wrenching accounts of people I know who suffered from breast cancer,” Aamina tells The Express Tribune. “This cause requires more than just showing up at an event and speaking about this disease; it definitely goes beyond that. Six months back, when I was in talks with SKMCH, I would think to myself how fair would the ‘real me’ be to this cause.”

The actor feels a discussion about breast cancer is taboo in Asia. “Do people know that breast cancer has the highest incidence in Asia, and particularly in Pakistan?” asks Aamina. She says that almost 80% of the women in Pakistan are reluctant to speak about breast exams. “This gives us all the more reason to battle this disease.”

The app, which is currently available in English, will shortly be launched in Urdu as well. Aamina plans to improve and upgrade the app in terms of graphics and information and says updates will take place every six months. “You can set up a monthly self-check reminder in this app,” says Aamina, who firmly believes knowledge about the disease can help fight it.

Owing to her rapport within the fashion fraternity, Aamina has also roped in designers to support her cause. Nida Azwer, Sania Maskatiya and Zara Shahjahan along with apparel label Daaman have designed beautiful scarves for this purpose, which will be available at The House of Ensemble and Labels as well as respective designer outlets from November 1. Proceeds from the sale will go to SKHM.

“This is a very personal initiative which will grow with time. My primary objective is to prevent the growth of breast cancer,” she says.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2013.

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