A quick background before this goes further—aside from being the global brand ambassador of Iron Balls Gin, I have a small bar in Koh Samui called Bar Bohem.

My sister had just recovered from breast cancer. Not only had she survived a double mastectomy, she had a breast augmentation at the same time. This put into perspective what breast cancer means for people with means and what it means for Samui locals—people without a fancy hospital to check them. Early detection means breast cancer is fully curable. Late detection is death.

Around June, I met David Strongman, owner of the local paddle club here in Samui. We chatted in my bar and talked about doing some events together. By early September, we set our sights on raising money for Think Pink—a volunteer-based charity with one goal: raising enough money to buy a mammogram machine that anyone, regardless of their financial situation, can access. The goal was 5 million baht.

David asked if I'd be interested in raising money for Breast Cancer Awareness Month with my bar. I of course said yes. As we talked, I saw an opportunity that went way beyond what my little bar could do. This was a watershed moment.

I asked David if he had any alcohol brand sponsors. He had none. I told him aside from owning a bar, I had a gin company—Iron Balls—that would love to support. That was the turning point.

I realized this movement had passion, but the vision could be expanded. I started contacting every resort and high-end restaurant I'd done trainings or events with, asking for vouchers. It was so easy I thought maybe we'd have too many donors.

Then I met Lynne.

It was October 1st when I launched my Think Pink Cocktail at Bar Bohem—Iron Balls Gin with Fever-Tree Pink Grapefruit Soda. The first night, at 12:31am, some locals were enjoying the space. I told them we were doing a charity cocktail for 500 Baht and 100% went to charity. They said they'd come back in October. I pointed out it had been October for 31 minutes and asked how many they'd like.

Lynne contacted me a few days later when she heard what I was doing. I realized she was the one really organizing this movement. From there it was all downhill in a good way. We worked side-by-side—she got me to be her auctioneer, a skill I never thought I had. We became a team of Machiavellian money raisers, and we did it well!

With Iron Balls supporting everything I did and Lynne pointing me in the right direction, I was proud to be part of the team that raised over 700,000 Baht in one month for Breast Cancer Awareness.

This was our first year and we plan to close that gap of 5 million by this time next year.

—Carson Quinn, Iron Balls Global Brand Ambassador