Start a Conversation that Matters | #StartTalking

The third leading cause of death between women ages 15-24 is cancer. We can begin the process of eliminating this statistic by starting the conversation with young women about their health. There is a great lack of candid conversations about preventative healthcare among young women, including education and a dialogue about cancer screenings and prevention, and simple things like going to the ob/gyn, or finding a primary care physician in college. I see this on a daily basis on my university campus, and the reasons for the insufficient dialogues are many – stigma, societal norms, awkwardness and anxiety. But the silence, and thereby confusion, surrounding how to take personal responsibility for health issues specific to women has created larger issues. 

As women, it’s our responsibility to start talking about doctors, cancer history and preventive health – it can start at home with a mother, sister, aunt, or grandmother. Then we can expand those conversations to our relationships with friends and classmates. This isn’t about a “program” or one speaking event, this is about a grassroots movement that starts with early candid conversations with young women and leads to the development of healthy habits that last a lifetime and are passed on to the next generation. Lets #StartTalking today, and with the individuals that mean the most to us. 

Be Brave enough to START a conversation that MATTERS. 

-G