Woman starts viral breast cancer awareness campaign with lemons
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IDAHO FALLS– An east Idaho native is trying to educate people about the sometimes uncomfortable topic of breast cancer using citrus fruit.
“To try and picture breast cancer in public has been impossible because you can’t show pictures of breasts,” said Corrine Ellsworth Beaumont, founder of Worldwide Breast Cancer.
Beaumont, who now promotes breast cancer awareness in England, has started the #KnowYourLemons campaign and is educating through a simple yet powerful graphic.
“A lot of breast cancer organizations focus on research and finding a cure, which is absolutely important, but until there’s a cure we need to find a way to better educate people about breast cancer,” Beaumont said.
The #KnowYourLemons visuals feature symptoms of breast cancer displayed in malformed or misshaped lemons. In three Facebook posts, graphics of the yellow fruit have reached some 8 million viewers.
“When we’re able to use this metaphor of a lemon as a stand in for the breast we can illustrate all kinds of things with very intricate detail without ever having to show a breast,” Beaumont said.
She said the “friendly lemon” is breaking down conversational walls. Beaumont said the graphic can be understood by anyone around the world, regardless of their education.
“It unlocks this conversation in a way that’s never been done before,” Beaumont said. “People are able to share really specific, really important information in a way that overcomes all of these barriers — barriers with censorship, with taboo, with fear about the disease.”
Beaumont, who is originally from Lewisville, said this project began about 15 years ago after both of her grandmothers died of breast cancer.
As she worked to become more educated about breast cancer, she shadowed an Idaho Falls obstetrician. The doctor taught her about the common symptom of finding a lump in the breast. Beaumont said the lump can be compared to a lemon seed as shown in her graphic.
“And … you’ve got a lemon seed that’s hard and immovable like a cancerous lump,” Beaumont said.
Beaumont said she aiming to spread the word about breast cancer throughout the world, especially to women in underserved countries.
“Most women in the world are not on Facebook, and they’re the ones that really need this information because they don’t have access to mammograms, and usually their best defense is themselves,” Beaumont said.
In honor of World Cancer Dancer Day on Saturday, Beaumont is launching the #KnowYourLemons challenge Friday. Anyone interested in participating is encouraged go to KnowYourLemons.com educate themselves.
“The first step in finding breast cancer starts with you,” Beaumont said.
People are welcome to donate to the cause so those who aren’t online may have the chance to be educated. They can post a photo of themselves smiling with a lemon in their mouth, or a fun lemon video on social media.
“Let’s get everyone in the world educated about breast cancer,” Beaumont said.