The Breast Fest Committee is all smiles after another great night of raising money to support women with breast cancer. The members are, from left: Margie Wiswell, Edy Hesse, Lindsay Ryan, Rose MacDougall, Karen Mullins, Stefanie Stokner, Wilma Timmons, Shannon Beaton, and Charlene Clarke.
October 8, 2025
by Beverley Phillips
The Inverness Fire Hall was filled with laughter and pink last Friday night as women gathered for Breast Fest, the annual breast cancer awareness fundraiser.
After mingling, making their first bids on the silent auction, and getting a plate of fine food, everyone settled down and listened to nurse practitioner Mary Anderson share statistics and information on breast cancer.
Of all the Canadian women diagnosed with cancer in 2024, 25% were diagnosed with breast cancer. Eighty-four women are diagnosed with it every day, and 15 will die from breast cancer every day. Black women and those with triple-negative breast cancer have the highest death rates.
Most startling of all was the increase in the breast cancer rate over the past 35 years. “There has been a 45.5% increase in the rate of breast cancer in women in their 20s,” she said, “a 12.5% increase in women in their 30s, and a 9.1% increase for women in the 40s.”
And in spite of the rising rate of breast cancer in young women, they are usually told they are too young to have it. But breast cancer in young women tends to be more aggressive, and they are getting diagnosed at later stages.
Prevention, recognizing the symptoms, and early detection are crucial to reducing risk and increasing survival rates.
Risk factors for breast cancer, Anderson said, include being female (though males can get it too!), being over 50, having never been pregnant or not pregnant until after 30, and having a first-degree relative with the disease. Obesity and alcohol consumption also increase the risk for the disease. Anderson warned, “Don’t get thinking that since there is no breast cancer in your family you won’t get it – you may be the first in the family!”
Knowing the symptoms is vital for early detection.
Symptoms include:
a lump (hard, fixed, irregular in shape, nontender and growing)
skin changes (like an orange peel)
skin dimpling, changes or discharge from the nipple
a red streak that is increasing in size,
changes in the breast, such as an increase in size, contour, swelling, or lump in the armpit.
A less common symptom is Paget’s disease, which is a scaling, fungal-looking, lesion near the nipple.
Knowing your breasts is important to recognize changes. Anderson disagreed with the move away from self-exams and encouraged women to do them, as well as to have an exam by a clinician, and get a regular mammogram. The Canadian target for screening is 75%, and in 2023, Nova Scotia was falling short of that with just 42% of women aged 40-74 getting a screening mammogram.
Anderson went on to detail the treatments once the diagnosis is made. And while there are new treatments becoming available, “There is no treatment without side effects,” she said.
She recommended that everyone work to reduce the risk. Unfortunately, we still don’t know why young women are increasingly getting diagnosed with the life-changing disease. A range of factors are being considered, including: genetic mutations, eating ultra-processed foods, plastics and our intake of microplastics, and childhood and adult obesity, as obesity leads to inflammation, which is a growth factor for cancer.
Until that answer is found, Anderson recommended that people maintain a healthy diet, drink lots of water, exercise, get educated and screened, and find a provider who will listen to your concerns.
Anderson’s talk provided the education; putting her advice into action is up to each individual.
There is certainly “nothing nice about having breast cancer,” as Anderson told the women, but events like this raise both awareness and money, and this evening raised $13,000, which will be donated to palliative care to better support women who face this disease.
The Breast Fest committee deserves great credit for having put on another great evening, as do all who lent a hand and donated to the cause.
