Breast Cancer is a very scary thing to have to go through and it does not only effect the person diagnosed with the dieses but their whole family.  By making women aware of this disease and have them go for check up and mammograms regularly I could be saving a life ………. Or many lives.

Pink Fishing is that vessel for me.

In the USA, two women who loved to fish and who have also been affected by breast cancer thought it would be a great idea to show their love of fishing while helping out a great cause as both ladies have a history of breast cancer in their families. Thus Pink Fishing was born, we sell t-shirts, hats and other items to raise Breast Cancer Awareness and raise funds for Breast Cancer Research. 20% is donated to Breast Cancer Research  and in South Africa this 20% will go toward CANSA and their Mobile Scanning units.

I was approached in February this year to join their Pro Staff team as they noticed my dedication to the sport and my wanting to grow the sport amongst South African Women as there is a small handful of Professional Women Angler is South Africa.

Apart from my passion for Bass Angling I also have a great passion for promoting Breast Cancer Awareness as I had a lump removed at the end of 2009.  A lump which was, luckily, not cancerous.

The best part of Pink Fishing is that we are helping the lives of many women and men by fishing…….yes, fishing. To make Pink Fishing more public we are approaching Professional Woman Anglers, like myself, to promote the Brand and the Cause.

Although I concentrate on Bass Angling we have many ladies in all sphere of angling in South Africa, and it is my mission to contact them all. Get them all on board so that we can fight this together.

A fact which is not that well publicized is Breast Cancer in men, According to CANSA, recent research found that men with a faulty BRCA2 gene have a 1 in 12 chance of developing Breast Cancer before the age of 80.

So, every time you see someone wearing a shirt or hat with Pink Fishing,  they really are “Reeling in the Cure” one shirt or hat at a time.

Debbie Hartman

Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa

Occupation: Executive Secretary

Years of Bass Fishing:

I come from a (Trout) Spinner and Flyfishing background and I started bass angling in September 2009.  My need to learn all there is to know about these little green fish had me scouring the internet for information. I happened upon www.Bassing.co.za , a forum where I have been welcomed and have learnt so much from my fellow anglers. I am the only active woman on this forum of 3109 members. I am now a moderator on the same site which is a great honor. I am a Kickboat, Inflatable and bank angler. My life partner, Rikkie, supports me in what I want to achieve. He is always willing to wake up early, load the pontoon, his canoe and our fishing tackle to go fishing. He catches the odd bass too.

Competitions:

I fish the KBBC (Kick Boat Bass Challenge) and the SBBC ( Small Boat Bass Challenge)

I fished the IBC ( Inanda Bass  Classic ) in April 2011

Highlights:

Started Pink Fishing SA ( www.pinkfishing.co.za)  Facebook

Being made a moderator on www.Bassing.co.za

Organizing and arranging two Lure Workshops during 2010

Landing my PB of 2.84kg

Goals:

Organize another two Workshops for 2011

Participate in a major Comp (Inanda Classic)

Film my endeavors using a Hatcam to share with others

Get more women in South Africa to take up Bass Fishing through PinkFishing

Promoting Breast Cancer Awareness

Raise funds for Breast Cancer Research

Statement:

Pink Fishing’s Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign lies very close to my heart as I had a scare a year ago.  Thank goodness the tumor was not cancerous but I still need to be careful and be tested every six months.

I have realized that many people leave that little lump and ignore it rather then go and have it seen too. I was one of them …. I put my head in the sand thinking it would go away, it did not, it grew !!

Making people aware of the importance of having check ups can save their lives.

Being able to participate in my passion, which is Bass fishing, and using that to promote Breast Cancer Awareness is a dream come true.

** Debbie Hartman won the October book hamper of 3 books that was drawn from the talk that Charlotte presented in Johannesburg at the Kumalo Green Secretaries Day Conference.