Pink Ribbon calls for more 'Embraces'

The impact of breast cancer on relationships in the patient's environment was the main topic of today's Pink Ribbon press conference. It took place at the premises of the Federation of Belgian Enterprises (FEB) in Brussels.

What are the experiences and needs of people close to a breast cancer patient? Pink Ribbon engaged the research bureau iVOX to find out, based on a questionnaire completed by 1,000 Belgians who have someone close to them with breast cancer.

A diagnosis of breast cancer is bad news. And bad news hits home. Even those around someone affected by breast cancer confirm people who have experienced it up close or are still experiencing it.

The impact of a breast cancer diagnosis is enormous

This is clear from Pink Ribbon 's new study of people close to a patient:

• 52% of respondents said there is not enough attention to breast cancer in society;
• According to 56%, it is a taboo to say that people still die of breast cancer;
• The opinion of 60% of those surveyed is that you have to have experienced it yourself to understand how tough it is;
• As many as 75% of those close to a breast cancer patient feel that breast cancer is presented too rosy, especially in the media.

Putting the network to the test

Many patients can fortunately rely on a network around them. 65% of those surveyed in this study confirm that there was support within the family, from family, friends or colleagues. Children are often (70%) a great help. And 80% of partners of breast cancer patients confirm that they grew closer to each other during the course of the disease.

Breast cancer overwhelms not only the patient, but also those close to them.

But a breast cancer diagnosis also severely tests patients' networks. Feelings of sadness (44%) and helplessness (42%) overpower just under half of loved ones. And nearly one in three (30%) in the network is in outright shock. So breast cancer overwhelms not only the patient, but also those closest to them. The closer the relationship - is it your mother, your child, your partner - the more intense the emotional reactions. Men generally react more rationally, women more emotionally. How you react to a breast cancer diagnosis in your immediate environment also depends largely on your personality.

Lasting impact on the family

Especially people from a family affected by breast cancer find themselves on a so-called rollercoaster. As many as 35 to 40 percent of respondents from a patient's family felt very lonely during the treatment period. They had virtually no one to talk to about their own feelings. One in 3 withdrew themselves from social life. So the card night with friends gave way to the sick person at home.

Involvement of outsiders is indeed appreciated by the affected family. But the focus of the conversations here is exclusively or too much on the patient. Too little is asked how the other family members are doing. People sometimes even get tired of the recurring questions about the patient's condition. 4 out of 10 interviewees with a family member affected by breast cancer felt the need for contact with people in the same situation. But 3 in 10 family members had no one to talk to about it. Remarkable here: if the cancer turns out to have spread, the interest of those around them drops: 1 in 3 suddenly sees fewer people then.

One in 2 partners feel very alone during the treatment of their loved one with breast cancer.

One in 2 family members report that breast cancer has severely tested their lives and - in the case of partners - relationships in the family. One in 2 partners (50%) confirm that they have felt very alone during the treatment of their loved one with breast cancer. For nearly half (46%) of the partners surveyed, it also involved a heavy financial drain on the family. And for 40%, it was also difficult to give the children in the family the attention they needed at the time. Breast cancer, which in many cases involves years of treatment, incidentally also tests the partner relationship. Life will not be the same as before.In other words, breast cancer has a lasting impact on the family, both emotionally and financially. And some partners (20%) prefer to keep quiet about it all. "After all, all these other problems seem like nothing compared to the life-threatening disease," they reason.

Much need for "hugs"

The need for information and support from people close to a breast cancer patient is great. Just asking them how they are doing can make a difference. But there is far too little information available, according to those surveyed. Pink Ribbon suspected this when it received many testimonials from people close to a breast cancer patient during the development of the new Pink Ribbon. The iVOX study further exposed this issue and the need for more "hugs."

Pink Ribbon wants to give heart to the so vital environment of breast cancer patients." - Marleen Finoulst

Loneliness, difficulties in family relationships due to breast cancer, much need for more information, support and intimacy in the patient's environment ... all of this has remained under the radar for too long. Pink Ribbon collected and still collects the gripping stories of people who testify about living with a breast cancer that happened not to them, but to their partner, parent or child ... These are stories in which they candidly tell what it did or still does to them. Pink Ribbon is currently submitting their stories to experts, who will properly frame these feelings and provide practical advice. All this will be compiled by Pink Ribbon in a new book, "Embraces," which the non-profit organization will present on "World Cancer Day 2024.

Marleen Finoulst, final editor of the Breast Cancer Knowledge Center, says: "With the new Pink Ribbon, the results of this new study and with the launch of the book 'Embraces', Pink ribbon wants to give a boost to the so indispensable environment of breast cancer patients. From now on, reducing the impact on the patient's environment is an additional component in our fight against breast cancer that will no longer be underexposed. It is an additional task that the non-profit organization Pink Ribbon and the Medical Knowledge Center Breast Cancer will continue to take on not only with the initiatives proposed today, but also in the future."

The 2023 Pink Ribbon was designed by breast cancer patients and their loved ones. Read the full story behind the 2023 Pink Ribbon here .