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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we at IMI take this month’s advocacy to heart! Here’s how we join the many brave women (and men) battling this disease by spreading the right awareness, information, and providing vital services on our sites across the globe!

Where the world is at with breast cancer
Cancer is still the second-leading cause of death worldwide, according to WorldCancerDay.org. In the United States this year there is an estimated 287,000 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in women, and 2,710 new cases diagnosed in men. 

Further data from the National Breast Cancer Coalition show that in the United States, a woman’s lifetime risk of being diagnosed with invasive breast cancer has increased since 1979. From one in eleven or 9,09% in 1979, that number has jumped to one in eight or 12.9% in 2022. 

NBCC says that older women are more likely to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. From 2014 to 2018, the median age of patients diagnosed was 63 years old. 

Despite these grim figures, we fight on, seeking new treatments and innovations to treat patients diagnosed with this disease. The bright side of all of this is that breast cancer is not only treatable, but it’s preventable as well. And this is what our advocacy of breast cancer awareness is all about: spreading the right information and providing resources to equip each other in combating this disease. 

How IMI takes Breast Cancer awareness to the next level
As one of the top 19 EMS companies in the world, IMI cares for its employees all over the world. This October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month was chockful of informative and engaging activities that center on spreading correct information, as well as sharing resources for better care and diagnosis. 

The importance of breast cancer awareness was emphasized by IMI Serbia’s Training and Recruitment Specialist, Milena Vujicic. “The health of employees is one of the primary goals of every company,” she said, “The urban system of life and work often diverts attention from basic human motives. Unfortunately, we often witness that we understand the disease only when it happens to someone close to us. In order to make stronger our basic values, among other things, taking care of employees, as a company we strive to promote healthy habits, organize regular systematic examinations of employees, as well as to work on the prevention of diseases through education.”

(Also read: IMI Stories: Conquer)

From conducting information campaigns and drives about the disease, our company has focused on educating employees on what breast cancer is, along with what its main risk factors are, what main symptoms to watch out for, how to prevent it from occurring, and most importantly, how getting an early diagnosis can help save a life. 

IMI Serbia

Toma Sokolov, IMI’s very own Operational Human Resources Specialist in IMI Bulgaria said that IMI Bulgaria provides free breast ultrasound examinations for its employees as part of the annual preventive exams package. To make it very convenient and encouraging for everyone to participate in this free exam, IMI held the examinations on-site, in the territory of each of our plants. 

IMI Bulgaria

In addition to this, updated literature, brochures, and visual aids on the methods for self-examination were distributed.

Along with practical support comes psychological and emotional support. Employees were encouraged to show their compassionate side in group photos expressing encouragement and kindness to all patients of breast cancer, whether family, friends, neighbors, or strangers.

IMI takes this worthy advocacy to heart. Says Sokolov, In Europe, cancer contributes largely to the percentage of deaths in the region. In particular, Eastern European countries show a considerably higher percentage of people that have died from cancer. This has mostly been attributed to unhealthy and harmful habits, low levels of prevention, and late diagnoses of the disease. In Bulgaria, it is reported that there is a significant increase in the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer.

An important key in treating breast cancer is catching the disease early. The earlier one detects it, the higher the chances of successful treatment.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), breast cancer treatment can be highly effective, “achieving survival probabilities of 90% or higher, particularly when the disease is identified early.”

This is where IMI’s campaign of holding free ultrasound exams for all its employees becomes very beneficial. Nothing beats having peace of mind when it comes to matters of health, especially when it comes to breast cancer. And when it’s caught early, there are various options available to start successful treatment.

The health of its employees is of utmost priority to IMI, and annual advocacies such as Breast Cancer Awareness month make everyone aware of our frailties and vulnerabilities, as well as our capacity and power to care for others, be they in the workplace, our homes, and communities.

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