The Million Mammogram Challenge: Mindie Kaplan’s Journey

October 10, 2024

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Brand Central Station invited Mindie Kaplan, Creator and Host of the MaleRoom podcast and Tech Founder & VP, Innovation at MediaMint, to write about her experience as a breast cancer survivor and how it led her to create the Million Mammogram Challenge, which OUTFRONT is spotlighting on our digital out of home screens throughout the month of October.

Can you imagine going from barely being able to look at yourself in the mirror after a double mastectomy to "putting it all out there" on a larger-than-life billboard in the middle of Times Square? I definitely couldn't have either until now! Here's how I got here...


Shortly after I shared my diagnosis, a friend (and talented photographer), Tom Kubik, reached out to offer me a photo shoot as a gift. I definitely declined in the beginning, but at the halfway point of my recovery, I changed my mind and decided to get out of my comfort zone to commemorate this milestone. In the beginning, I only showed the pictures to my mom and sister, then began to show others who were moved to take action. Then just two years later, I decided to share it on Instagram for Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a call to action: "Ladies....Post Your Mammogram Dates"! Then they did, by the hundreds, then thousands. Some would share how they have family history and were scared; others explained how they were putting it off but this reminded them to schedule.

Fast forward to when I was introduced to the Head of Creative at OUTFRONT, Eddy Herty. I told him the story of the photo and the response that I got from it. He had mentioned that we could possibly partner on a PSA campaign and our brainstorm began. What if we could recreate the same thing that worked before on a much larger OOH scale?! I definitely had to sleep on this one, but after we reviewed other alternatives, my gut told me that we had to go bold for this to really work, which is exactly what we did! I'm forever grateful to Eddy and the OUTFRONT team for taking a chance to dare to do something different that is already starting to pay off. The biggest highlight for me has definitely been all of the testimonials from women who have posted, DMed or texted their dates.

 
In regards to changing narratives, I always felt like I couldn't relate to what was out there. I was young and single and most of the visuals skewed older and sad as if their lives were over or the extreme opposite where they recovered and were competing in the Olympics. I was somewhere in the middle and didn't want cancer to be the "Star" of my story. I was also dating and going through it on my own with close friends and family by my side but couldn't find a narrative that really spoke to me...which is why I decided to create one! There seems to be a white space in navigating dating and relationships during this time too, so I just released a fitting episode of my podcast, MaleRoom, to discuss with three male survivors. You can watch the episode, called "Dating with Cancer...Confessions," on YouTube.


Now, five years later, I am sharing this nationally on billboards in over 36 markets and the subway in New York City to launch a movement that I created, called the Million Mammogram Challenge, to encourage women to schedule and post their mammogram dates for early detection. Basically, in one quick step, women can go to our site, with or without insurance, click on "Book" and make their appointment through our partnership with Zocdoc.

I know that we will be saving lives and changing narratives for women around shame, while celebrating their femininity and encouraging early detection. This is why I'm doing it. 


Special thanks to OUTFRONT, Imerman Angels, and Zocdoc. Follow @themindieproject on Instagram for all the latest!

Author: Mindie Kaplan, Creator and Host @ MaleRoom and Tech Founder & VP, Innovation at MediaMint
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