Breast Cancer Patient Calls Out Facebook For Censoring Photo Of Her Nipple
Rowena Kincaid has secondary stage four breast cancer and in an attempt to raise awareness, she posted an image of her nipple to Facebook.
The 40-year-old hoped that the image, which showed 'a blotchy red rash around her nipple' would show women that changes in your breasts should never be ignored.
Rowena runs a public Facebook page entitled Before I Kick The Bucket and on 23rd January she shared the image which received over 72,000 impressions in just two hours.
Speaking to The Independent UK, Rowena later noticed that the image had been removed because it violated Facebook's code of conduct.
Hello Everyone. Facebook notified me that it has automatically taken down my last post down due to nudity rules. It...
Posted by Rowena Kincaid: Before I Kick The Bucket on Saturday, January 23, 2016
“When you’ve got cancer you become a specialist in your own illness. I never knew what to look for or that a rash can be a sign of breast cancer.
"I woke up last weekend and thought, ‘I have a rash on my breast and I’m going to die. If I don’t share this, it will die with me’".
Rowena made the point that people know to look for a lump but her image showed that breast cancer can present itself in other ways.
"There are other things to look out for: puckering, inverted nipples, pain, a rash. I wasn’t out to offend anyone. [It] looks like something out of a medical journal" continued the Cardiff native.
She later re-posted the image with her nipple covered up but she remains "disgusted" that Facebook removed a photo which could save lives.
Hey you guys! You have all been so A-mazing! I'm listening to you all, & can see your anger & how upset some of you...
Posted by Rowena Kincaid: Before I Kick The Bucket on Sunday, January 24, 2016
“Posting that photograph was the bravest thing I’ve done. It’s so personal; I was petrified. The fact is it is a shot of a human body part with a disease. If I had cancer in my big toe and had posted a picture to show what it looked like would they take that down?”
"The fact is it is a shot of a human body part with a disease. If I had cancer in my big toe and had posted a picture to show what it looked like would they take that down?”
According to reports, Facebook is investigating the issue.
