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October/November 2008

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Two decades ago breast cancer was barely spoken about in public. The silence that surrounded this form of cancer became almost as unbearable as the cancer itself for a woman named Nancy G. Brinker. Nancy’s sister Susan G. Komen was diagnosed with breast cancer 26 years ago, and it shattered her world.

According to Rebecca Newhouse, president of the board of directors for the Charleston-based Susan G. Komen affiliate, doctors had told Susan that she was cured at one point, but that was not the case. “It had metastasized,” she said. “Finding it in it’s later stages is harder to treat.” Even after having a mastectomy, Susan G. Komen eventually died from the breast cancer, and Nancy was never the same.

Newhouse said women two decades ago trusted their doctors and didn’t seek second opinions, something that was fatal for Komen. “Today [women] are not quite that lenient,” she said.
After losing her sister to a cancer that most people knew little about, Nancy went on to form one of the most successful breast cancer foundations in the world.

“What makes the biggest difference [between this foundation and other breast cancer foundations] is that it started out in a very personal way as a promise from one sister to another,” Newhouse said.

In between caring for her sister, hoping she would get better, and then finally accepting that the cancer had taken its toll on Susan, Nancy promised she would never let another woman slip away from the world unlearned about this form of cancer. “[She made that promise] in 1982 and that is what really launched a whole global movement,” Newhouse said.

Since then woman all around the world whether diagnosed or not, have banded together to raise awareness about breast cancer as well as search for cures. Newhouse said having affiliates really brings the foundation down to a community level as opposed to just one national organization. “It is really easier to see the benefits of the partnership because it is going to help in your backyard,” she said.

Furthermore, affiliates also benefit when it comes to funding. Newhouse said affiliates get to keep 75% of what they raise in their own state. “The other 25% goes directly into the research and awards program,” she said.

Newhouse also said the Susan G. Komen Foundation funds grant programs that allow the under-insured to get screening. “Funding research has been paramount in what the whole national Susan G. Komen stands for. It’s really reaching for that cure,” she said.

Nancy’s promise to uncover more information about breast cancer so that women can make more informed choices have brought about “incredible victories,” Newhouse said. “One person really can make a difference when they just don’t want to see that happen to another person.”

According to information provided by Newhouse the results of a 2007 economic impact study revealed that approximately 4,500 people have been saved through Komen funded research, adding more than $296 million into the US economy.

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure series is an event that has been extremely successful in raising money for the cause, as well as getting individuals motivated on a grassroots level to join the movement.Newhouse said the very first race was held in Dallas, Texas in 1983. The next race was held in Nancy and Susan’s hometown of Peoria, Illinois three years later. Newhouse also said the Race for the Cure series went global in 1998, and West Virginia held their first race in 2001. “We hold our race at the state level the first Saturday of May,” she said. Information also provided by Newhouse showed that West Virginia’s Race of the Cure has generated over $1 million from 25,000 participants since 2001.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, “which just brought an incredible re-commitment, because in 25 years a billion dollars was raised and put into fighting for that cure and bringing community programs together. We have given [breast cancer] a voice, given it a face, and made a lot of changes in how people perceive breast cancer,” Newhouse said.

“In the next ten years we’ve made a challenge to double it into 2 billion dollars.” The 2007 economic impact study also revealed that more than $779 million in total business impact was generated through the Race for the Cure series.

Newhouse said the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure series is the largest series of 5K’s with over a million participants. West Virginia averages nearly 7,000 participants, she said. “If you haven’t come to the Race for the Cure, you should because it’s something pretty special,” she said.

Newhouse also encourages everyone to save their pink Yoplait lids for the “save lids to save lives” effort. “Just by saving them and sending them in, we get 10 cents a lid and that comes right back here to West Virginia to our affiliate. Believe it or not, those little pink lids can mean a difference in a grant,” she said.

For more information about the Susan G. Komen Foundation, or to learn more about Susan’s story, visit www.komen.org. To reach Rebecca Newhouse at the WV affiliate, call 304-556-4808.
Background information regarding Susan and Nancy’s story was reproduced with permission from www.komen.org.

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