Australia’s only hereditary health charity, Pink Hope, is asking women around the country to wear bright pink lipstick tomorrow, Friday, September 26 for Bright Pink Lipstick Day.
Now in its third year, Bright Pink Lipstick Day has attracted the support of Australian supermodel Jessica Hart, who has collaborated with Pink Hope to create an exclusive lipstick for the event through her newly launched brand, LUMA Cosmetics by Jess Hart.
Founder of Pink Hope, Krystal Barter, said the day aims to encourage Australians to have a conversation about their family’s hereditary health, specifically their risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
“Currently, more than 240,000 women and men are at risk of hereditary illness, or carry a genetic fault that can lead to breast, ovarian, prostate and other cancers,” she said.
“The issue for many carriers of a hereditary gene is that they’re not aware of their family history, and often, many find out about their condition when it’s too late.”
Krystal Barter. Picture: Pink Hope
Krystal’s mum and late grandma and great-grandmother were all diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age. Krystal, a mother-of-three and author of The Lucky One, also carries the gene.
She underwent a double mastectomy at the age of 25, to radically reduce the chances that she, too, would develop the disease and while recovering in her hospital bed, she founded the charity that has helped thousands of Australian women take control of their breast and ovarian health. Recently, Krystal had her ovaries removed to reduce her chance of getting ovarian cancer.
Earlier this month, Krystal launched the Bright Pink Lipstick campaign at Kirribilli House with the support of Margie Abbott.
Other celebrities pouting their pink lips tomorrow include, Jesinta Campbell, Lisa Wilkinson, Laura Csortan, Natalie Gruzlewski, Kyly Clarke and Nicole Trunfio.
Upload your picture to social media using the hashtag #BrightPinkLipstickDay. To donate, visit www.pinkhope.org.au.
