The new breast cancer campaign from Dominican plastic surgeon Dr. Tania Medina hopes to motivate men and women to inspect their breasts on their own through manual self-examination, and celebrate the importance of taking care of themselves in Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Chiki Bombom is an influencer also part of the campaign who is best known for her TikTok messages aimed at positive motivation, and has garnered 50 million views on the platform. Ingrid Macher, a breast cancer survivor nutrition entrepreneur with more than 20 million followers on social media, is also part of the campaign.

Medina released a statement about her third year leading the initiative to generate awareness about the disease. 

"I am pleased to have Chiki Bombom and Ingrid Macher join me in 2022 to spread the message. As a plastic surgeon, I know how important it is to periodically self-examine the breasts, because it is a way to detect any abnormalities," said Bombom.

To support women who do not have resources or medical insurance in the Dominican Republic, Medina organizes a day of free mammograms with other health professionals. Every year, more than 500 women come for exam.

"God's plans are perfect. Before joining the 'Tocarte las mammas es vida' ['Touching your breasts is life'] campaign, I met many women who suffer from breast cancer, and I thought that, because I was young, I would not get this disease. Until Dr. Tania Medina confirmed to me that from the age of eighteen you can suffer from this disease. As young people, we must give importance to self-examination and take it very seriously," said Bombom.

Macher said that she is "a standard bearer in inviting everyone to do frequent self-examinations" thanks to her ability to detect it in time. 

Breast cancer is considered the leading cause of illness and death in the United States. It also occurs in smaller numbers of men. For this reason, it is recommended that those over the age of 20 have a clinical examination at least every three years and, after the age of 40, increase the frequency to once a year.