The Recipe Worth Passing Down
Every family has a recipe that never quite gets written down. A pinch of this, a handful of that, learned by standing beside someone we love. We guard those recipes carefully, and we pass them from grandmother to mother to daughter because we could never bear to lose them.
But there is another kind of family recipe that far too many of us were never handed: the story of our health.
The stories we never heard
Many of us grew up in homes where illness was spoken about quietly, if at all. A lump that was checked. A scare that was kept private. An aunt who “was sick for a while.” It was rarely a lack of love. More often, it was the opposite: a wish to protect each other, and a belief that silence would keep us safe.
But when these stories stay untold, the women who come after us start from the beginning. They don’t know what runs in the family, or when it might be wise to pay closer attention.
Why your family’s story matters
The research shows just how much those conversations are worth. The American Cancer Society explains that having one first-degree relative with breast cancer (a mother, sister or daughter) almost doubles a woman’s risk, and having two can triple it. That is not a reason to be afraid. It is a reason to be informed, and to have a better conversation with your doctor about screening.
At home in South Africa, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, with a lifetime risk of about 1 in 28 according to the National Cancer Registry figures published by CANSA. CANSA has also voiced growing concern that many women are only diagnosed at a late stage, when treatment is harder. And it is not only a story for later in life: CANSA notes that many women under 40 are diagnosed too.
Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022, and 670 000 lost their lives to it. It was the most common cancer in women in 157 of 185 countries. Behind every one of those numbers is a mother, a daughter, a friend.
Silence doesn’t protect us. Knowledge does.
How to start the conversation
It doesn’t have to be a formal talk. Some gentle ways to begin:
- Choose a comfortable moment, perhaps over a meal, a cup of tea or a walk.
- Start with your own story: “I’ve booked my mammogram, and it made me think about our family’s health.”
- Ask who in the family has had breast cancer or other cancers, and roughly how old they were.
- Write down what you learn and take it with you to your next check-up.
- Pass it on to your daughters, your sisters and your friends.
Our gift to you this year
At Morton & Partners, we believe the best recipes are meant to be shared. This year, our gift to every mammogram patient is a cookie made with love by our partners at Oh My Dough (while stocks last). It is a small reminder that we can share our family recipes, and also our experiences of women’s health and what we have learned along the way.
On each cookie is a QR code to sign up for our Women’s Health newsletter, so you can stay up to date with the latest information on preventative screening and technology.
And from 1 October to 15 November, we are offering 30% off routine private-paying mammograms.
If someone you love has been putting hers off, this might be the gentle nudge.
The stories we share today could help protect the women we love tomorrow. Who will you share yours with?