Who We Are

We are a patient-focused organisation committed to supporting people to understand and reduce their risk of hereditary cancer. We provide evidence-based information to help break the cycle of cancer in Australian families and encourage conversations that save lives.

We empower people to take charge of their own health by assessing, understanding, and reducing their risk of cancer. And we offer support every step of the way.

Our Mission

We want to empower all Australians to understand and act upon hereditary cancer risk by educating them about their health history, providing them with evidence-based resources and connecting them to a supportive, nurturing community. 

We work collaboratively with healthcare providers to ensure a better transition for at-risk people as they move through each stage of their journey. We promote open discussion around family health history in Australia through targeted campaigns and education. We also advocate for those at risk of cancer and their families with the aim of earlier diagnoses, risk reduction, and better treatment options. 

Risk management

We continuously expand and deliver tools, digital content, education, and support to spread awareness of the genetic risk of cancer.

Support

We ensure every at-risk family is supported at each key touch point, enabling them to make life-saving decisions.

Change

We create change in the preventative health space through targeted campaigns, digital content, real-life patient stories and advocacy.

Platform creation

We have built a platform for the community to share their stories and to become a patient advocate.

Future planning

We collaborate with other organisations to ensure we change the future for all at-risk families.

How it All Began

Pink Hope was founded by Krystal Barter, a women’s health activist, speaker and author, who was inspired by her own family’s experience with cancer. Krystal’s family had a history of cancer due to a BRCA1 gene fault (the same one made famous by Angelina Jolie), which predisposes the carrier to a high risk of breast and ovarian cancer. As a result, in 2009, at only 25 and with a husband and young family, Krystal made the difficult decision to break the cycle of cancer in her family by having a preventative double mastectomy. Her experience taught her that there was no support system available for at-risk women, and so she started Pink Hope. In 2014, when she was 31, Krystal took the next step in her BRCA journey and had her fallopian tubes and one ovary removed to reduce her risk of ovarian cancer. 

Our achievements

Over the past decade, Pink Hope has grown to become one of Australia’s leading hereditary cancer organisations.

2021

We successfully campaigned for better access and understanding of tumour testing in ovarian cancer in order to help Australian women have access to the best treatment options and the most up-to-date information and advice. Plus, our website had a complete overhaul, making it easier to navigate and find evidence-based information, ensuring we continue to be the only organisation in Australia to support high-risk families.

2020

Pink Hope successfully pivoted from face-to-face to digital events, reaching more than 1,000 people with each webinar, and we created a comprehensive digital library that educates more than 15,000 people a month on our website. Our advocacy campaign for the COVID cancer crisis reached more than 100 million people.

2019

This year, we reached more than 200,000 people across communication channels and we launched the Women Who Lead event for Pinky Promise, and the Young Women’s Online Community Support Group.

2018

Pink Hope advocated for a change of Breast Density Guidelines in Australia, we rang the NASDAQ Bell NYC to celebrate our achievements and advocated for better access and more equitable access to gene testing and launched Give Back retreats, in partnership with Girls Getaway. We also partnered with several other patient advocacy organisations, as well as Monash University to address the issue of insurance discrimination. Bright Pink Lipstick Day launched at The Langham in Sydney.

2017

Pink Hope launched the genetic testing grant program and reduced local testing prices, as well as the #KnowYourRiskTool to help Australian women understand and manage their risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. Pink Hope also successfully advocated for Medicare to cover the cost of genetic testing for at-risk families and we launched our annual calendar of national information & Support Days.

2015

In March, Angelina Jolie publicly shared her experience of having her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed. As a result of the increased global awareness, Pink Hope grew by 705%. Founder Krystal Barter was invited to meet Angelina Jolie in Sydney. Bright Pink Lipstick Day launched at Kirribilli House, sparking a national conversation.

2013

Angelina Jolie publicly shared her BRCA1 status and preventative health journey, sparking a global conversation about genetic mutations. Pink Hope became the face of the conversation in Australia, and we were featured in more than 2,000 stories globally. We also launched our world leading “Ask a Genetic Counsellor” tool.

2012

Pink Hope became a stand-alone organisation and the first Bright Pink Lipstick Day was launched at The Star Casino in Sydney.

2009

Pink Hope was founded by Krystal Barter.

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