The 2025 edition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, championed annually by Joy FM, has been launched.

The initiative, held every October, is dedicated to educating the public about breast cancer through specially designed programmes.

This year’s campaign was launched on the Cosmopolitan Mix on Joy FM on Wednesday, 1 October 2025.

Hosted by Doreen Andoh, the launch featured Dr Grace Buckman, Public Health Resident Medical Director at Sonotech Medical Centre, and Primrose Fafa Azaglo, a breast cancer survivor.

Sharing her story, Primrose recalled how she was diagnosed with the disease.

“I have a family history, so I have a fair deal of what breast cancer is about. I was someone who was very particular about doing self-examination every month. One of the months, I realised that I had a lump. The first check, when I went to the hospital, I was in my period. They said it was one of the breast tissues; it was nothing.

Later, the lump was getting bigger, so it was alarming. So I had to change the hospital. And when I went, the doctor suspected it was breast cancer, but then had to do a biopsy. When the result came out, it was confirmed that it was breast cancer,” she said.

Dr Grace Buckman stressed the importance of regular checks in order to detect breast cancer early.

“When we talk about breast cancer, it starts very silently. You are on your normal rounds, thinking everything is okay. But for all you know, something has started in the breast without you realising it. It is at that time that it will be good for us to detect the changes in the breast,” she said.

The Cosmopolitan Mix airs on Joy 99.7 FM on weekdays from 10 am to 12 pm and is hosted by Doreen Andoh.