Landmark Turns Pink for Charity
Published: November 2, 2011 (Issue # 1681)
The angel that resides atop the Alexander Column on Palace Square was illuminated in pink shades Thursday as St. Petersburg joined the list of cities participating in the global Breast Cancer Awareness campaign launched in 1992 by Estee Lauder skincare company.
Since the start of the project, hundreds of iconic buildings across the globe have participated in the campaign, including India’s Taj Mahal, the U.S.’s Empire State Building, Britain’s Tower of London and Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The idea behind the project is very simple — use illuminated landmarks to remind women of the necessary breast checks that need to be done once a year.
“Many people still perceive cancer diagnosis as something fatal; when women discover alarming symptoms they prefer to turn a blind eye to them, and only turn to doctors when the problem becomes impossible to ignore — which is, unfortunately, when it is often too late to help,” said Yevgeny Mukhametov, key account manager with Philips Healthcare, the company that supported Estee Lauder’s initiative and provided illimunation for the Alexander Column.
“The truth is, however, that modern equipment can detect breast cancer at the earliest stages, when, in 95 percent of cases, surgery is not required to solve the problem, and recovery can be achieved solely through medication.”
Breast cancer is responsible for the highest number of deaths among all types of cancer among females. Unlike several decades ago, when breast cancer was most common among women over forty, today the illness sometimes hits 30-year-olds or even 25-year-olds, so doctors recommend annual mammograms for all women over 25.
Every year in Russia, according to official statistics, breast cancer claims 20,000 lives.