One in eight women will be affected by breast cancer in their lifetime.

It’s been 35 years since Breast Cancer Awareness Month was created. In that time, millions of Americans have been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer with an estimated 271,000 in 2019 alone. Most of those women will end up having surgery at some point in their treatment.

Stryker, one of the world’s leaders in medical technology, launched the line of Invuity products to help breast and plastic surgeons remove cancerous tissue through a single incision made in inconspicuous areas to minimize visible scarring.

However, they learned that while breast cancer surgery is relatively common, women are often completely unaware of all the surgical and reconstruction options that are available to them in this substantial and deeply personal process.

Whether out of necessity or prevention, breast cancer surgery, and the scars that are often associated with the procedure, can be life-altering.

While some may see their scars as an empowering symbol, a mark of their decision to take a stand against the ravaging power of breast cancer, many do not. Research shows that breast surgery scars may impact a woman's psychological and emotional well-being, as well as the quality of life after surgery.

Using that data, we created the “Courage to Live” campaign. This unique consumer campaign ran throughout Breast Cancer Awareness month and was designed, first and foremost, to help women recognize that they’re not alone in their fight against breast cancer and to empower, build them up and encourage them to keep fighting.

We did this by having real women share their stories of hope, strength and courage. We used these women, our heroes, to encourage other women to share their “Courage to Live” stories.

All these stories were housed on a microsite solely dedicated to the campaign. On this site, we also several longform resources dedicated to helping provide practical, honest and factual tips for women who are going through breast cancer. Resources like what kind of bra to buy after breast cancer surgery or how to stay active in the midst of the crippling exhaustion that chemotherapy brings.

In conjunction with the microsite, we launched a robust social media campaign on Facebook and Instagram, targeting women who had been impacted by breast cancer in some capacity.

Simultaneously, we activated a collection of macro and micro Instagram influencers who were willing to share their personal breast cancer stories ranging from U.S. Soccer athlete Carli Lloyd to NBC news anchor Guilianna Rancic.

In the course of this campaign, we created an active community that rallied and empowered women to be the best versions of themselves, regardless of where they are in their breast cancer treatment.