Cancer OCT

Like every year, the month of October is dedicated to the fight against breast cancer. Breast cancer affects the vast majority of women worldwide. It accounts for around 33% of all female cancers. Although women are the most affected by this disease, men can also be affected.
In France alone, it is estimated that 61,214 new cases will be diagnosed in 2023, representing an increase of 0.3% per year compared with 2010, and causing the death of around 12,000 women in metropolitan France in 2018.
Despite these worrying figures, breast cancer is a disease that is very well managed when discovered early.
In fact, for several decades now, significant progress and numerous medical advances have made it possible not only to improve the quality of life of sufferers, but also to anticipate the contraction of the cancer through early detection. In this way, thousands of lives are saved every year.

Pink October is a key event in the fight against breast cancer. More than 70 countries mobilize for this cause every year, organizing prevention and awareness campaigns. This mobilization raises funds to finance hundreds of medical projects.

October 1, 2023 launches the 30th edition of Pink October. To mark the occasion, many companies are mobilizing around the world.
L'Hexagonal is one of them. Indeed, the Nice-based company has been supporting the fight against breast cancer for over ten years. This year, to celebrate its 30th edition, L'Hexagonal has decided to further assert its support for this cause.
To do so, the French company decided to organize several conferences dedicated to prevention and awareness. A number of topics were addressed, including the importance of screening, screening itself, breast palpation, risk factors and the different stages and spread of breast cancer.
Several health professionals, including oncologists, were invited to take part in the event.
Discussion groups were also set up to make it easier to interact with former patients and cancer sufferers wishing to share their experiences.

All these events took place throughout October at the CIARA HÔTEL on the Promenade des Anglais. Places were limited and available on the company's website, as well as on the websites of the various partner organizations for these events.

Among the partners standing by the Nice-based company throughout the month of October is French haute couture house ROSE DE MOLINAR, which has been supplying the company with uniforms since 2016. Over the past few months, the company has been working closely with ROSE DE MOLINAR to create a limited collection of special 30th edition scarves. This collection was available from October 01 to 31 in boutiques or by order on the brand's official website. All internet orders were made on demand. All profits were of course donated to various associations in the fight against breast cancer.

To round off this month of mobilization against breast cancer, artist photographer Katie LOBEYAT took part in the fight, committing herself to bearing witness to the ongoing struggle of sufferers.
For several months, she travelled the length and breadth of France, from town to town, from hospital to hospital, with the aim of putting a face on cancer.

Katie LOBEYAT :

«Breast cancer is a subject that is very close to my heart, both as a woman and as a human being.
There is no age or social category to be affected. No matter who you are or where you come from, cancer makes no difference.
Through my work, I wanted to bear witness to their struggle, their perpetual fight against the disease. So it was important to follow them in their daily lives.

Photographing only cured people didn't really support my work. It was as if I were lying, as if I wasn't telling the whole truth. Of course it's important to photograph and show people who have recovered, to bear witness to the fact that breast cancer can be cured, and to be able to give hope. But cancer is first and foremost a battle, a battle fought by everyone affected every day. I didn't want to come along and skip the whole thing.
What I wanted to show here is the reality of the disease, the pain, the body changes, the hair falls out, but also the hope, the empathy, the support and the love that unites. Behind each photo there's a person, and behind each person there's a story. And it's this story that I've tried to convey through my photos. Between the contraction of cancer and the outcome, which is unique to each person, a lot happens, and to bear witness to it is also to fight!
It took me some time to find my place, gain their trust and show them that I really wanted to get to know them, their story, their struggle. To show them that I wasn't there just to click on my camera. I listened to them talk about their lives, their stories and their struggles, some of them alone, others surrounded by others, but all of them showed incredible sincerity and trust.
You know, you can see a lot of emotions in a look. You can see fear, pain, sadness, love, joy, hope...
I want us to show genuine interest, deep understanding and sincere concern for these people. The hardest part of all this is realizing that, of all the people I've had the opportunity to photograph, some won't make it. But their willingness to bear witness despite the odds has given me the strength to carry on, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart. "

The Niçoise company also supported the young photographer's project, covering all publishing and marketing costs for her book RUBAN ROSE . Following the sale of her book, Katie LOBEYAT has pledged to donate part of her profits to the various associations she has met during her many visits to hospitals.

Translation of poster : Don't forget that you are beautiful, and that whatever happens to you, your courage and strength make you magnificent .