“Because beauty begins with health” – The great mission of the beautiful women of Podlasie!

“The goal and main assumption of our campaign is to spread broadly understood prevention, with emphasis on the prevention of women’s tests, such as cytology and breast ultrasound. For several years now, as part of the Miss Polonia Podlaskie Voivodeship Competition, together with the Anna Rytel Foundation, we have been organizing various types of charity campaigns and educational projects, the most important message of which is to increase social awareness. You can read about the details of this year’s campaign, among others: in social media: on the official accounts of the Competition and on the private accounts of our Finalists.” Says Anna Kurządkowska-Kosińska, organizer of the Miss Polonia Competition of the Podlaskie Voivodeship.

The aim of celebrating the European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week is to draw attention to the still high incidence of this cancer – around 60,000 cases are diagnosed annually throughout Europe, of which nearly 30,000 women die. This type of cancer is one of the most common in women (after breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer). Cervical cancer most often affects women aged 45-65, but an increase in the incidence is observed from the age of 25.

“The idea to organize such a campaign was not accidental. Currently, there is a lot of talk about regular check-ups, which are increasingly encouraged not only by doctors, but also by, among others, celebrities. Despite publicly available knowledge and direct access to information, the subject of preventive examinations still leaves much to be desired. It is worth investing in knowledge that not only can be useful to detect disease changes at an early stage, but above all can save lives. Our Finalists were introduced to the topic of the campaign by an outstanding specialist, Dr. Robert Brawura-Biskupski-Samaha (Specialist in pediatric perinatology, gynecology and obstetrics). During the almost three-hour workshop, he explained the essence of preventive examinations and answered every question,” Anna Kurządkowska-Kosińska.

Although the Finalists of the Miss Polonia Competition in the Podlaskie Voivodeship seem to take part in a beauty contest and fight for the title of the most beautiful one, it turns out that the mission and the entire genesis of this type of events is something completely different today.

“It is difficult to dispel the stereotypes floating around about beauty contests, but to see what this entire initiative is now, you need to take a closer look at it and go deeper into what such a contest can offer. The list could go on for a long time, because there are many benefits, one of them is social activities, whose message, flow and reaching appropriate sources become mass thanks to such projects. Today, beauty contests do not look for a candidate with impeccable beauty. This is, of course, an inseparable element, but the key to winning is something completely different. It is the involvement in social activities, the willingness to support charity initiatives, above-average empathy and looking at the world not through the prism of external beauty, but through the eyes of other people’s needs – that determine success,” emphasizes Anna Kurządkowska-Kosińska.

22 girls, the youngest of whom is only 18 and the oldest 26, will use their social media accounts to encourage people to undergo preventive tests throughout January – cervical cancer awareness month.

“I am taking part in the “Because beauty begins with health” campaign because I believe that caring for our health is like a flower that blooms and adds beauty to our lives. I want to be part of this campaign to promote prevention, which is the most important element to effectively fight diseases in their early stages. I would also like to spread the knowledge I have acquired on this subject and help others discover the beauty of health,” says 18-year-old Malwina Szpanko from Zdunów.

For 24-year-old Paulina Wykowska, a law graduate from the University of Warsaw from Łomża, the “Because beauty begins with health” campaign is a great initiative that allows us to draw attention to the importance of preventive examinations. “I am part of it because I want to publicize this very important topic and raise awareness among other women, and this may even save someone’s life. I believe that every single person encouraged to take part in research will be a huge success of our campaign.” – says.

“I am taking part in the ‘Because beauty begins with health’ campaign because I would like to increase women’s awareness of prevention and show the enormous importance of tests, especially cytology. If detected in its early stages, the disease is almost completely curable. I would also like to make women aware that beauty starts from the inside, so it is worth cultivating and taking care of it,” sums up 18-year-old high school graduate, Monika Bruszewska from Białystok.

For each of the girls, participating in the campaign is something new and different than what they have previously shared publicly on their social media, but they all agree that this particular initiative is a very important undertaking for them and they strongly believe that they will be successful.

“It doesn’t matter how many people we manage to convince to see a doctor, have a breast ultrasound or undergo a cytological test. Perhaps there is only one such person on this entire scale. Perhaps it will be someone’s mother, sister, friend – the important thing is that there will be someone like that. I have been supporting these young girls for several years now. I see how beautifully they blossom and engage even more beautifully in important social issues. Every year we do something good together and this good comes back with a vengeance. – adds Anna Rytel, president of the Anna Rytel Foundation, one of the main partners of the competition.

To become part of the social campaign, simply sign up for preventive tests. Going there with a loved one will be a double success.