2017 Winners

Breast cancer is often seen as an older woman’s disease, so it can be especially isolating when a younger woman is diagnosed. And with most of the conversation around “checking your melons” and “finding a cure,” pink ribbons do little to comfort those actually living with the disease. Rethink Breast Cancer wanted to shift the conversation towards the unique obstacles younger women face.

For years, campaigns have spoken to women about preventing and detecting breast cancer. But what do you say to a woman who has just been diagnosed? It’s hard to know what the right gesture is. Somehow, a “get better soon” text or a bouquet of flowers seems woefully inadequate.

During focus groups, women undergoing treatment spoke to the realities of having breast cancer at a young age and how isolating it can feel when people don't know how to talk to you anymore. Flowers, balloons and mind-numbing optimism do nothing to help. They were tired of being treated like “a sick person.”

To bridge this communication gap, the organization and agency lg2 created the Give-A-Care Collection: the first line of products for young women with breast cancer that actually understands young women with breast cancer.

Developed with input from over 500 patients and survivors, the collection challenges people to think twice about how to comfort young women with breast cancer, and how to do so in a way that actually helps them through the difficult days ahead. The collection stands out in a sea of pink, feeling young, fresh and anything but clinical. Available exclusively at Giveacare.ca, care packages include products that range from lemon candies that mask the metallic taste from chemo, to a zip-front hoodie that’s easy to get on and off after surgery. But more than just items they can actually use, each product is named in a bold way that helps to educate around what a loved one with breast cancer is actually going through.

With products such as the “My-life-has-turned-into-a-series-of-appointments-so-please-don’t-tell-me-this-is-all-part-of-the-big PLANNER,” and the “I-know-this-hospital-waiting-room-like-the-back-of-my HAND SANITIZER,” the collection creates awareness as much it offers comfort. In turn, opening doors for conversations to get real, and for these women to get the care they really need. And with all products donated by partners including H&M, Aveda, and Pluck Teas, 100% of proceeds support Rethink’s work for those affected by breast cancer.

After just one month, 111,860,339 impressions were generated with $0 media spend. There were shoppers from 97 countries, 40% of traffic came from outside Canada, 31,000 page views from almost 10,000 unique users and the average order was $62. To date, $15,713.54 has been raised. There has also been coverage on major Canadian and international media outlets, including The Today Show, Breakfast Television, Huffington Post, The Globe and Mail, The National Post, Chatelaine, Elle and Flare. The organization also partnered with Walgreens in the U.S., and is currently in talks with several high profile Canadian retailers.