Gearing up for the 2010 Race for the Cure

You might think that December at the Komen office is quiet. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is over and the Race for the Cure doesn’t occur until May. However, we start gearing up early for the Race, and as usual we plan to make this year’s event bigger and better than ever.  This year’s race will mark our 20th Anniversary Komen Atlanta Race for the Cure! In honor of our twenty years, we hope to reach $2 million in fundraising and to have a 20% increase in participation with 18,000 Atlantans joining us for the event. We have some special surprises in store for this year, so be sure to stay tuned to the Komen Atlanta website and this blog to find out more!

Pink Power Party

Our Pink Power Party was a success! The event brought in $440,000 which will fund breast cancer screening, treatment, education and research. Thank you to our sponsors and guests!

Join the Movement: Worship in Pink 2009!

One reason Komen Atlanta developed the Worship in Pink program was to deliver vital breast health information in a place where it would resonate with people–in their places of worship. Komen volunteer Dr. Bresha Shaw has exerperienced firsthand how effective this is in spreading the life-saving message of early detection. She has worked closely with her church, Antioch AME, to organize the event year after year. We asked Dr. Shaw why her church is so dedicated to the program and the cause:

Transforming lives, is this your mission? If so join the Worship in Pink Weekend experience.

Last year, our health ministry joined forces with the Susan G. Komen’s Worship in Pink Weekend, and lives were transformed in more ways than we could imagine. This experience allowed us to empower and educate our congregation about breast health (screening, early detection, diagnosis, resources etc.). During this event, our church sponsored weekly testimonials from survivors, workshops with local breast health specialists, and the grand finale, the Worship in Pink Weekend celebration. As a result of Worship in Pink, women reported more frequent breast self-exams, some women received mammograms and were even diagnosed with breast cancer. Through early detection, these women have been treated and are currently recovering. This experience not only transformed the health of our congregation but also strengthened our faith, hope and love for one another.

We are excited about continued participation in this event as we educate our congregation, families, friends and community about breast health. Thanks to the entire Susan G. Komen Worship in Pink staff for their support, hard work and commitment to this cause.

We hope Dr. Shaw’s account of Worship in Pink encourages you and your place of worship to participate. Visit our online registration page to join the movement now!

Pink Power Party

Komen Atlanta staff and volunteers are gearing up for our first ever Pink Power Party and we are very excited about this event! The idea behind Pink Power is that we are taking power over breast cancer this October. Pink  power is all about awareness, education and screening. Pink power is empowering yourself and others to take charge of their health. To celebrate the theme of empowerment, we are honoring four women who empower other women. Our honorees include Representative Kathy Ashe, Dr. Jenny Amerson of Breast Care Specialists, B98.5FM’s Vikki Locke and Kathy Walters of Georgia-Pacific.

The party will take place on October 17th at 7pm and will feature hors d’oeuvres,  cocktails, fabulous music and an amazing live auction. We are especially excited about the location. Ventanas is a brand new space in the Park Pavilion buildling in the Luckie Marietta District. It occupies the top two floors of the building and has floor-to-ceiling windows provided a magnificent view of all of Atlanta. We are hoping to good weather that night so we can take advantage of the outdoor rooftop area!

For ticket and sponsorship information, feel free to call our office at 404-459-8700. You can also take a look at the  digital version of our invitation digital version of our invitation for more details. Hope you can join us!

Komen Grantee Site Visit: Georgia Cancer Foundation

This week, we are lucky to have Komen board member Kim Zell share her site visit experience:

I am passionate about finding a cure for breast cancer and also about Komen Atlanta’s mission to enable women to detect and survive breast cancer. My life has personally been touched by the fact that 4 women from my immediate family have been diagnosed with the disease. Both of my grandmothers were survivors and also two aunts. I know the effects this disease can have on a woman and her family. I also know the power of a community of survivors supporting one another. That is the reason I am proud to be a part of the Komen Atlanta family.

As a board member, I visit one current Komen Atlanta grantee each year. This year I visited the Georgia Cancer Foundation. Every year nearly 6,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in the state of Georgia. Through a grant from Komen Atlanta, GCF offers low-cost mammograms to women in need throughout the Atlanta metro area. Considering the current economic state and the high levels of unemployment factored with rising insurance costs, it isn’t surprising that demands on GCF are rising. GCF is able to provide unemployed, uninsured or underinsured women in the metro Atlanta area with a mammography for as little as $25. They also provide low-cost biopsies and ultrasounds to women who are referred to those services. Considering those procedures can cost up to $5,000, this is an amazing benefit being offered.

But GCF doesn’t only provide funding for screening and diagnostic services; they also provide support services for women currently fighting the disease. Through their Angel Boutique, women are able to get prostheses and mastectomy bras, wigs, turbans, hats and scarves at no charge. And through their program ChemoChic, women learn about healthy eating, relaxation techniques and much more. It empowers women to combat the adverse side effects of chemotherapy.

GCF is helping Komen Atlanta fulfill its mission to enable women to detect and survive breast cancer. Keep up the good work!

Worship in Pink Weekend

We released information on our 4th annual Worship in Pink Weekend today. We are very excited about the program’s growth! If you are interested in signing up your religious organization, visit our Worship in Pink page to register!

WORSHIP IN PINK WEEKEND TO REACH 60,000 ATLANTANS

WITH LIFE-SAVING CANCER INFORMATION

September 3, 2009

ATLANTA, GA–The Greater Atlanta Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure expects a record 60,000 Atlantans to participate in the 4^th annual Worship in Pink Weekend. The Weekend will take place from October 23 to October 25 to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  More than 100 local churches, mosques and synagogues are expected to partner with Komen Atlanta to spread the life-saving message of early detection and honor their communities’ survivors.

Religious organizations may enroll with Komen Atlanta to receive packets of breast health information for each member of the congregation. The organizations are encouraged to discuss breast health with their members. Many make the day a celebration of survivors by inviting survivors to speak about their experiences and asking the congregation to wear pink. The program highlights the importance of early detection, and Komen Atlanta provides information on where women can find low-cost and free mammograms.

Komen Atlanta Executive Director Kelly Dolan said, “Worship in Pink is our most popular and effective education program. Breast health information really resonates with people when they hear it at their place of worship. It’s also a great opportunity to celebrate the strength of survivors. We are excited to reach a record number of people this year.”

Currently, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. In 2009, an estimated 5,370 women in Georgia will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and another 1,130 are expected to die of the disease.

Co-Surviving

So much emphasis is placed on the medical aspect of a cancer diagnosis and treatment, that sometimes we forget the importance of emotional and social support. Every person going through treatment has someone they lean on for support. At Komen, we call those individuals co-survivors. Komen’s guest blogger Krista Whalen shares her experience as a co-survivor below. For more information on what you can do to help those you love get through breast cancer, visit Komen’s co-survivor page.

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From the moment my dad bravely stood up from the dinner table, touched my mom’s hand and told my sister and me that my mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer, our lives changed.  What had been a hectic whirlwind of cheerleading practices, soccer games, homework, SAT prep, PTA meetings and business trips decelerated.  We learned to work together to make my mom’s experience as a patient and later, as a survivor, as “normal” as possible.

Since my mom did not have as much energy as usual, typical family vacations were out of the question.  Instead, road trips into the city to see the botanical garden or shows at the Fox became family adventures to which we looked forward and enjoyed.  Not only did these trips bring us closer, but they also helped us cope with the situation.  My mom’s bald head often drew stares; there was no hiding the fact that we were all fighting cancer.  Yet during these family outings, we realized the importance of being together as a family.  Eventually the stares were unnoticed by us and our main focus was overcoming the long road to recovery ahead.

Even with the conclusion of physical therapy and surgeries and chemotherapy and radiation behind us, there was still a long transition period to overcome. Our lives were still not the way they were before cancer, but my mother’s cancer was cured and we had all survived it together.  No matter the difficulties that lay ahead, we would work together to get through them.

Jeffrey Fashion Cares

One of the largest combined AIDS and breast cancer benefits in the country, Jeffrey Fashion Cares will kick off its 17^th annual fashion event this August 31 at 7 pm.  Held in downtown Atlanta at 55 Allen Plaza, the fabulous night will involve a pre-show cocktail reception followed by a live auction and dazzling runway show featuring selections from high-end designers such as Gucci, Prada, Marni and Manolo Blahnik.  This year’s event will also highlight the collection of special guest designer Jason Wu whose impressive work has made a notable mark in the fashion world.  Honorary chair and bridal gown designer Anne Barge will also join in the excitement.

The Fashion Cares auction will offer several spectacular items including trips to New York, South Beach, blissful Barcelona, and the vine-laden hills of Napa Valley.  There will also be an opportunity to bid on a pair of delightful Tiffany & Co. diamond earrings and a St. Regis Atlanta Ultimate Pampering Experience.

Last year, the event raised a record-breaking $800,000 and 95 cents of each dollar was donated to its beneficiaries, Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Atlanta AIDS Partnership Fund.  We believe this year will be even better and are looking forward to a great night!

Support Survivors with the TurningPoint Raffle

Beach lovers and sports fanatics, here’s a chance to win a fabulous trip to the Bahamas, meet your favorite athletes and support Turning Point Women’s Healthcare, a Komen grantee that offers support to breast cancer survivors through physical therapy, counseling and nutrition guidance.  TurningPoint is a one-of-a-kind facility that caters to women with breast cancer.  Their goal is to see that each breast cancer patient moves from surviving to thriving!

Raffle tickets are being sold through August at the TurningPoint website.   The winning ticket includes the following:

• 2 tickets to Sports Legends Challenge – Meet and compete with Reggie Jackson, Emmitt Smith, Richard Petty, Sugar Ray Leonard & more!
• 2 Luxury Rooms for 5 nights at Atlantis Resort
• Voucher for airfare for 2 to Nassau, Bahamas
• Trip dates: Sept. 13-18, 2009
• $100 per raffle ticket

Buy your ticket and win a great trip! Buy a ticket with a friend and pack your bikini! Please pass this info along to your friends.  Help support Turning Point!

Komen Grantee Site Visit: Young Survival Coalition

This post is the second of two that describe grantee sites visits conducted by Komen Atlanta’s grants manager and a board member. Komen Atlanta’s public relations intern Amanda Jones joined them for the visit and reported back on what she learned about young women and breast cancer.

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One in eight women with breast cancer is younger than 45 when diagnosed.  As a summer intern for the Greater Atlanta Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, I learned this shocking and unexpected statistic on my recent visit to one of Komen’s 2009 grant recipients, the Young Survival Coalition.

I had always assumed that breast cancer occurrences in young women were minimal and rarely life-threatening.  I was wrong.  As I joined our Community Outreach and Grants Manager on a site visit to the YSC, I discovered that breast cancer in young women is a pertinent, serious issue.  In fact, breast cancers in women under 40 not only tend to have a poorer prognosis than those in older women, but the cancers themselves are typically fast growing and higher grade.

Young women who learn they have breast cancer often feel confused, isolated and ill-equipped to handle such an unforeseen diagnosis.  In terms of medical research, this portion of the population is often overlooked and underrepresented, so finding information and advice can be a difficult experience.

Understanding that these young women have critical issues and concerns that are specific to them, the Young Survival Coalition formed in 1998 in order to “empower young women to understand their diagnosis, treatment and choices from the moment they are affected by breast cancer.”

On a local level, the YSC Metro Atlanta Affiliate serves 11 counties throughout the area and is a prominent resource for young women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.  With the grant from Komen Atlanta, they have expanded their survivor resource center and are currently developing their navigation and survivor programs.  Because young women affected by this disease are frequently unsure of what to do or who to ask for help, YSC Metro Atlanta is working to empower this group with the education, navigation and support they need to take control of their diagnosis.