Pink Ribbon Morning Tea with Mary Batchelar

A cup of coffee, a slice of strength and a whole lot of heart.

Last week, a few of our Christchurch team had the privilege of attending a Pink Ribbon morning tea hosted by our friends at Naylor Love and Hilti to support the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ. There was a great spread of sweet and savoury treats, pink merchandise to get behind the cause and plenty of raffles to keep things exciting but what truly made the morning special was hearing from guest speaker Mary Batchelar.

Mary shared her personal experience with breast cancer, the highs, the lows and the hard truths in between. Her honesty, humour and strength struck a real chord with everyone. She reminded us that while cancer itself isn’t something to sugarcoat, holding onto hope and optimism can still make a big difference. To find out more about Mary's personal journey battling breast cancer, we encourage our readers to visit her LinkedIn account >>

New Zealand Breast Cancer Facts

• Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed amongst women

• Over 3,500 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year and about 370 of those are aged under 45

• Approximately 25 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year

• A mammogram can detect 80-90% of breast cancers.

• Screening mammograms do not stop the development of breast cancer but can reduce the risk of dying from breast cancer by approximately 33%.

Reading the facts about breast cancer really puts into perspective just how many lives are affected and how vital awareness, early detection and community support truly are. That’s why events like this morning tea matter so much.

A huge thank you to Mary for being so open with us and to Naylor Love and Hilti for bringing people together to support such an important cause 💗