Category sponsored by Ceros
Gold
Momentary Ink, I Had Cancer and Havas Health Plus
Bare Your Breast Cancer
Breast cancer awareness has been a win for women’s health. But the conversation about what happens after breast cancer — the surgery, removal of breasts and loss of identity — remains taboo. Mastectomies are a sensitive subject because they directly relate to one of the most tender aspects of a woman’s sense of self. Breast removal leads to shame and depression, and the stigma can prevent emotional healing.
Working with I Had Cancer, an online community of survivors, this pro bono effort wanted to inspire women to help bare this breast cancer taboo. Understanding their trauma and finding the messaging that would encourage them, it sought a unique way to activate the community.
The answer? Ink, in the form of temporary tattoos. It asked survivors to become tattoo artists, creating designs for painless, temporary tattoos to help overcome the stigma of their painful, permanent scars. Momentary Ink developed a unique product that would adhere to women’s mastectomy scars, printed on demand in sizes to fit any woman’s body.
Focusing on survivors and their families and allies, it leaned into the social networks of all three organizations in the partnership: I Had Cancer; Momentary Ink; and Stand Up 2 Cancer.
Leveraging micro-influencers from the I Had Cancer social community, it pointed out women rarely talk about mastectomies, even with their best friends. Many shared their stories, scars and beautiful new tattoo designs on social media. It inspired other survivors to participate.
Starting with conversations online, the effort engaged more than 50,000 people.
Silver
Jazz Pharmaceuticals and 21Grams
Unspoken Symphony
Thousands with severe epilepsy struggle with motor skills and communication. Many are entirely nonverbal, including Riley. However, she does love to paint, inspiring this novel technology, nine months in the making. It turns children’s paintings into music. So far, more than 47,000 people have visited the site, creating close to 8,700 symphonies.
