This Emoji Wants to Save Lives with a Simple Health Check

No matter who you are or where you’re from, when you hear the diagnosis ‘Breast cancer’ your world comes to a standstill. 

But in the UAE, there’s a bright pink light of hope on the horizon, Friends of Cancer Patients. This non-profit organisation believes cancer should never be a scary journey, and definitely not one you should take alone. They are committed to supporting patients and their families every step of the way. 

But their work doesn’t stop there, FOCP knows the importance of early detection and raising awareness about self-exams, especially with breast cancer where,

“80% of breast cancer tumors are self-detected.” – Friends of Cancer Patients

This is why Pink October is the most important month on their calendar. A time when they work hard to remind women everywhere to check their breasts!

Horizon FCB Dubai wanted to find a way to support FOCP and use Pink October to launch an initiative that would act as a constant year-round reminder for women to do self-exams. 

This is when something caught their eye, an emoji waving out of the keyboard. But was the emoji waving, or doing something else? 

They launched the #🙋‍♀️ in the UAE with FOCP, and asked the question, “Have you ever wondered why this emoji has her arm in the air? It’s because she’s doing a breast cancer self-exam.”

“Having a creative ‘self-examination’ tool using an Emoji will help spread the word about Breast cancer, creating dialogue and much needed awareness” - Dr. Sawsan Al Madhi, director general, Friends of Cancer Patients

The emoji is a reminder to every woman who sees it or sends it to do their self-exam, and the hashtag quickly spread around the world. 

“The response to the emoji has been overwhelmingly positive, with people sharing the hashtag globally. It has even reached doctors in Brazil.” – Reham Mufleh, general manager Horizon FCB Dubai

By bringing new meaning to something we see so often, this message will never be finished. So, don’t forget to keep sharing & reminding # 🙋‍♀️!

“When creativity and compassion come together, we can create something that will really make a difference.” – Mazen Jawad, president of Horizon Holdings