Beyond the Pink, There's the Green: Event Recap

Dear Mente Calma Community,

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month - a time when the world turns pink. Ribbons, campaigns, fundraisers, social media posts. And all of that matters. Awareness saves lives. But at Mente Calma, we wanted to ask a question that does not always get asked: what about the mental health of those living with breast cancer? What about the grief, the fear, the identity shifts, the relationships that change? Beyond the pink, there is the green.

On 31st October 2025, we hosted our Beyond the Pink, There's the Green event at Four Points by Sheraton Lagos. Over 100 attendees came together for an evening of honest conversation, community, and connection. We were joined by six sponsors, two wellness booths, and a room full of people who were ready to go deeper.

The conversations that evening were remarkable. Women spoke about the loneliness of a diagnosis - the way life continues around you while you are trying to process something enormous. They spoke about the pressure to be strong, to stay positive, to protect the people they love from their own fear. And they spoke about what it meant to finally be in a room where they did not have to do any of that.

We also talked about the mental health system - or the lack of it. For many people in Nigeria, psychological support during a cancer journey is simply not available or not affordable. This is something we are committed to changing, through the Foundation's work and through the services we offer at Mente Calma.

If you were in the room that night, thank you. Thank you for your courage, your openness, and your willingness to be part of a different kind of conversation. And if you were not there - we hope you will join us next time.

The green is growing.