Media Fundraising and Breast Cancer Walk

¶ … United States, 2300 men and 230,000 women are newly diagnosed with breast cancer, making it the second most common cancer in women after skin cancer (National Cancer Institute, 2015). Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is a nationwide event during which participants walk to raise money for breast cancer treatments. Breast cancer starts in the duct cells or lobules or other breast tissue and can spread aggressively if left untreated (National Cancer Institute, 2015). The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks are designed to be fund raisers for breast cancer research and to promote early screening and detection. The walks attract media attention, which is critical for reaching a wider audience for the purposes of raising awareness and raising funds. Organizations like the American Cancer Society depend on the media to promote their goals. Since it began in 1984, the breast cancer walks grew from 200 people participating to 11 million across the country, thanks to media engagement. The media engagement with Making Strides Against Breast Cancer reveals the positive and productive relationship between the media and charitable organizations.

The media coverage raises awareness about the importance of preventative measures such as early screening for breast cancer, which will help reduce the number of fatalities associated with the disease. As the American Cancer Society (2015) points out, "Many cancer deaths could be prevented by making healthy choices like not smoking, staying at a healthy weight, eating right, keeping active, and getting recommended screening tests." The media coverage of breast cancer walks helps remind the general public of the importance of lifestyle choices and early screening on preventing cancer. "The media are an important source of health information for many women," and "early detection of breast cancer by mammographic screening has the potential to dramatically reduce mortality rates," (Jones, 2004, p. 309). Therefore, media awareness about early detection and screening may help inspire individuals to get screened more regularly.

Media coverage also helps to raise money from would-be donors. Another famous fundraising campaign, the ALS ice bucket challenge, raised more than $100 million for research into that "degenerative neurological disease," (Persaud, 2014). Social media can especially help spread the word about breast cancer rapidly, thereby devoting as much money as possible to research. Steiner & Miranda (2014) found that more than half of those who "engage with organizations on social media" take "further action for the cause" including donating, and also that £2.4 billion was raised last year alone. Therefore, media engagement definitely has an impact on the bottom line.

Furthermore, the breast cancer walks are designed to create a sense of community for survivors and those who have been recently diagnosed with breast cancer. About 62% of persons with chronic illnesses use the Internet to seek out "others who might have health concerns similar to theirs," (Persaud, 2014). The online communities provide a safe place for people to discuss their problems. Moreover, "having a chronic disease increases the probability that they will take advantage of social media to share what they know and learn from their peers," (Persaud, 2014). Effective use of social media for events like breast cancer walk can have a positive impact on the quality and quantity of information being shared among breast cancer survivors.