【Hana-me Report】New Balance Japan

On Thursday, October 12, 2023, we held a breast cancer seminar “Hana-me” for employees of New Balance Japan at their headquarters. We held a special 90-minute session, instead of the standard 60-minute format, focusing on the theme of “Diagnosed with Cancer: What do I do?” and “Cancer and Mental Health”. This session included a presentation, a self-checking experience workshop using the breast model, and a Q&A session.

This was the first in-person meeting in three years, and a total of 107 employees participated, 35 offline and 72 online. Both those who had participated before and those who attended for the first time listened carefully and took notes.

About one-third of the participants were male, and they listened intently to the information that males can also develop breast cancer.

Photo 1) Mr. Shinichi Kubota, President of New Balance Japan, attended the seminar online

After the presentation, we held a group self-check workshop.The activity involved looking for lumps in the silicone breast model, in which participants learn that even a small lump of about 1 cm can be detected.

When our instructor shared that each breast model has three or more lumps, the participants expressed their surprise with comments like:

💬”More than three!?”
💬 “Isn’t this a lump here?”
💬 “Wait, it’s gone?!”
💬 “Let me try again!”

All of the groups seemed to be actively enjoying the workshop.

Photo 2) During the Self-Check workshop: Looking for lumps inside the silicone breast models.

During the Q&A session, there were very good questions and comments shared, such as questions about the best balance of encouragement when communicating with a cancer patient who is close to them, and sharing honest thoughts about not wanting to do self-checks because they are afraid of finding lumps.

1 in 9 women in Japan are now at risk of breast cancer. The number continues to rise each year, almost approaching the United States (1 in 8) which has one of the highest rates of breast cancer in the world. Many people have the common fear of finding a lump through self-checks, but I think it is more important to understand the importance of “Early detection, and early treatment – earlier the better!” Early detection leads to shorter treatment and a wider range of treatment options. I hope that this experience encourages the New Balance Japan employees to conduct self-checks more regularly. I also learned how the support from those around us can be a huge help when we are diagnosed with cancer, and the importance of creating an environment where people feel comfortable talking about their health condition.

Thank you to everyone at New Balance Japan!

New Balance Japan does many amazing works to raise awareness of breast cancer awareness: In addition to employee education, they distribute pamphlets at their official stores as part of their awareness activities in October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and donates a portion of sales of pink ribbon related products to RFTC Japan.