Watch This Powerful Breast Cancer PSA

Even if you only have a few moments to spare today, this new PSA in support of breast cancer awareness is a powerful reminder of the importance of breast cancer screenings, research, and education. Created by A Plus in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the video puts an unexpected spin on beauty “haul” videos. The woman in the video, played by actress Carly Fawcett, begins by happily showing her followers her haul, exclaiming, “I got so much stuff today!” After going through items like new shoes, books, and night creams, she starts to notice a lack of energy, and the things she “gets” take a darker turn: “I got my blood drawn today,” she says in one scene, and later “I got these,” holding a bottle of pills. The video finally concludes: “The one thing she didn’t think she would get was breast cancer.”

This PSA is an important reminder that breast cancer can affect adult women of any age, from all walks of life. Although certain factors increase one’s risk for breast cancer — such as smoking or having a family history of breast cancer — we all need to educate ourselves about breast cancer and early detection. According to BreastCancer.org, about 12 percent of American women (that’s one in eight) will have invasive breast cancer at some point in their lives. The organization estimates that in 2015, more than 230,000 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. The good news is that, when breast cancer is caught early, it’s easier to treat than more advanced stages. Women of all ages should perform routine breast self-exams every month, so that they can detect any unusual changes to their breasts and report them to their doctors. You can learn how to perform a breast self-exam with this handy guide.

The PSA shows just how drastically a cancer diagnosis can change one’s life. The video’s protagonist transforms in the space of only a few scenes; the first sign that something is wrong is a lack of energy:

Eventually she starts bringing home a different sort of “haul”:

Jordan Zaslow, producer of the A Plus PSA, told BuzzFeed of the video, “I was moved to make this video because the best thing we can do is take care of ourselves. I hope it inspires viewers to learn more and encourage the people they love to do the same.”

Watch the video below:

Images: YouTube (4)