Day 350: Living Beyond Breast Cancer

Give 350 is in honor my friend’s aunt who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, I am sending her good thoughts and hope she makes a speedy recovery.

Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) is dedicated to assisting patients, whether newly diagnosed, in treatment, recently completed treatment, are years beyond or are living with metastatic breast cancer. LBBC is also here for the family members, caregivers, friends and healthcare providers to provide breast cancer information and support.

As a national education and support organization, their goal is to improve the quality of life and help patients take an active role in their ongoing recovery or management of the disease, regardless of educational background, social support or financial means.

Living Beyond Breast Cancer offers programs and services to women affected by breast cancer, caregivers and healthcare providers including a website, lbbc.org; a toll-free Survivors’ Helpline staffed by trained volunteers at (888) 753-LBBC (5222); national conferences; free teleconferences; community programs; newsletters and publications; recordings and transcripts; small grants to help improve quality of life; and workshops and trainings for healthcare professionals.

Amount Donated: $5

To support Living Beyond Breast Cancer, please visit: http://www.lbbc.org

Day 296: Young Survival Coalition

Today’s give goes out to an organization founded by young women diagnosed with breast cancer. Cancer has affected a lot of people in my life and I am drawn to organizations working to raise awareness and empower those affected with cancer to improve their lives. The community of support YSC provides is priceless.

Young Survival Coalition (YSC) is the premier global organization dedicated to the critical issues unique to young women who are diagnosed with breast cancer. YSC offers resources, connections and outreach so women feel supported, empowered and hopeful.

YSC grew out of the experiences of three young women facing many of the same challenges as you. The founders, all diagnosed with breast cancer before age 35, saw the need for better information, support and research for young women facing this disease. Exemplifying the conviction that still characterizes our constituents, they went ahead and did something about it, creating YSC in 1998.

YSC helps young women stand strong against the many unique challenges our population faces. Unlike post-menopausal women with breast cancer, they must deal with higher mortality rates, fertility issues and the possibility and ramifications of early menopause.

In YSC’s network of young women, however, those challenges can look more like opportunities to accomplish shared goals. YSC works with its members to:

  • Advocate for more studies about young women and breast cancer
  • Educate young women about the importance of breast self-awareness and knowledge
  • Serve as a community of support for young women with breast cancer

Through it all, YSC helps women find meaning, comfort and hope during one of the most challenging experiences of their lives.

Amount Donated: $5

To support Young Survival Coalition, please visit: http://www.youngsurvival.org

Day 122: Feel Your Boobies Foundation

Today’s give might sound a bit cheeky, but the organization’s goal is to raise awareness for breast cancer and to remind young women to check themselves, is an important one. Sometimes an unconventional approach can garner the attention to make a difference, their approach has already been credited with saving some women’s lives and that is an incredible feat. I will be sending this link to all five of my sisters, please tell the important women in your life to…

Feel Your Boobies® was founded in 2004 after the Founder, Leigh Hurst, was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 33. She found her lump simply by “feeling her boobies”, not through a formal self-breast exam. What originally started as a few fun t-shirts she designed to remind her friends to “feel their boobies” has evolved into non-profit Foundation and international campaign focused on spreading this life saving message to young women using unexpected and unconventional methods.

Why they unexpected and unconventional methods? Well, based on Leigh’s experience, many young women tune out messages about breast cancer because they don’t believe they are at risk or the messages are too clinical. At Boobies Central, they know that research shows that simply “feeling your boobies” (aka “breast awareness) is just as effective at identifying lumps or other breast changes as the traditional step-by-step process of “breast self-exams”. And that’s their mission - to give “a friendly reminder when you least expect it”. So get feeling girls, and remind a friend to do the same.

Amount Donated: $5

To support Feel Your Boobies Foundation, please visit: http://www.feelyourboobies.com

Day 99: Keep-A-Breast

With any devastating disease, awareness and education are important tools for battling the proliferation. The need to target younger generations is crucial to perpetuating the awareness and prevention. When it comes to beast cancer, Keep A Breast Foundation understands the necessity to cater programs and education towards young women, and their smart and unorthodox approach is very inspiring and making great progress. 

The Keep A Breast Foundation™ is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to help eradicate breast cancer by exposing young people to methods of prevention, early detection and support. Through art events, educational programs and fundraising efforts, we seek to increase breast cancer awareness among young people so they are better equipped to make choices and develop habits that will benefit their long-term health and well-being.

Keep-A-Breast organizes art benefits to put breast cancer awareness on the map for a younger generation, and in 2004 Keep A Breast realized that was only half the battle. To further its mission to prevent breast cancer, KAB launched a series of education and awareness programs. These unique campaigns use art and artistic expression to inform young people about methods of prevention, early detection, coping and support. Through these programs Keep A Breast strives to eradicate breast cancer by inspiring young people to adopt lifestyle choices that have long-term health benefits. Some of today’s most progressive artists, athletes and celebrities have participated in Keep A Breast events, including Shepard Fairey, Dita Von Tesse, pro surfers Lisa Anderson and Layne Beachley, musicians Tom Delonge of Angels and Airwaves, Katy Perry, Pink, Maya Ford of the Donnas, The Foo Fighters and many more. Relying on support from partners and dedicated volunteers, Keep A Breast continues to spread its inspiring message through music and other channels in hopes of making a positive impact on the lives of future generations. Check out all of their programs: http://www.keep-a-breast.org/programs

Amount Donated: $5

To support Keep-A-Breast, please visit: http://www.keep-a-breast.org

Day 18: Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

Happy Mother’s Day! In honor of today, I am donating to the Avon Foundation by supporting a walker in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. While doing some online research, I noticed Eileen T., a member of the Chicago theater community was raising money for her walk, so I decided to show my support for the Avon Foundation via her walk page. Good Luck, Eileen!

Funds raised are managed and distributed by the Avon Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) public charity.  Grants are awarded to local, regional and national breast cancer organizations to support five areas of the breast cancer cause, including: awareness and education; screening and diagnosis; access to treatment; support services; and, scientific research.  Support for the medically underserved is a key priority.   Beneficiaries range from leading cancer centers to community-based non-profit breast health programs, creating a powerful international network of research, medical, social service and community-based organizations focused on defeating breast cancer and ensuring access to care.

The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer is the Avon Foundation’s largest annual fundraising initiative, and also one of the largest fundraising programs in the country. From 2003 through 2008, the Avon Walks have raised more than $265 million - funds that are directly saving lives. The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer also raises extraordinary awareness as participants spend an entire weekend walking 39 miles through cities and towns around the country. In 2008 alone, thousands of donors supported more than 24,000 Walkers and Crew raising nearly $60 million in the national 9-event series!

Amount Donated: $10

To support the Avon Foundation, please visit: http://www.avoncompany.com/women/avonfoundation/donations.html