Inside Prevention

Mountain-climbing mom in training (Houston Chronicle, 6/7/2011)

In just one short week, the Breast Cancer Fund and our 2011 Climb Against the Odds team of 35 breast cancer survivors and people touched by the disease will be in Mt. Shasta to face the mountain. One of those climbers, Leann Ferry, was profiled by the Houston Chronicle last week:

Ferry is the only Texan on a team of 36 breast cancer survivors from across the nation preparing to climb Mount Shasta, a 14,000-foot peak in northern California.

Her goal is to raise at least $20,000 for the Breast Cancer Fund.

"They are the only national nonprofit with the sole mission to get rid of environmental toxins that cause breast cancer," Ferry said. "I will climb so that it will be common knowledge that pesticides cause cancer and that we should not be eating them in our food or have them in food packaging."

Ferry is passionate about the Breast Cancer Fund because she firmly believes her cancer was caused by environmental exposure. (Read complete article.)

We can't wait to see Leann and all the climbers next week! We'll be blogging from Shasta throughout the week and delivering reports on the climbers' progress on summit day. Check back here starting Sunday, June 19 to follow along on this incredible journey for breast cancer prevention.

Novato woman prepares for trek to Everest Base Camp (Novato Patch, 1/25/11)

On April 25, Kelly Gray of Novato, Calif., will begin a strenuous but extraordinary 14-day trek in Nepal to the foot of the world’s tallest mountain, and she’ll be making the trip as both a personal challenge and an opportunity to support the Breast Cancer Fund. She’ll be one of 15 to participate in Sacred Treks: Everest, organized by Breast Cancer Fund Hero Cathy Ann Taylor and her company, Cattara.

A recent article in the Novato Patch newspaper profiles Gray’s preparations and her personal reasons for making this trek:

“I'm taking on this physical challenge as a way to prevent breast cancer," she says. "I have two sisters who are breast cancer survivors and my maternal grandmother also suffered from the disease. I want my children to know that we can do something positive regarding cancer and that we can hope for a better future.”

In addition to training for six months, members of the team will also fundraise a minimum of $5,000 for the Breast Cancer Fund. Past participants of Sacred Treks to Bhutan, Mont Blanc and Machu Picchu have raised over $200,000 for breast cancer prevention.

Once in Nepal, the team will hike the Himalaya on the shortest and most direct route to the foot of Everest. From Kala Patar at over 18,000 feet, they’ll see the face of Everest and trek to Everest Base Camp, and upon reaching their final destination, they’ll fly Breast Cancer Fund prayer flags (taken from the Tibetan tradition) in honor and memory of loved ones touched by the disease.

Missoula cancer survivor ready to climb again (KPAX-TV Missoula, 12/27/2010)

The team roster for Climb Against the Odds 2011 is already three-quarters full! One of the climbers, Ann Maechtlen, was featured last week by her local news station in Missoula:

 

Ann is a two-time cancer survivor, returning climber, environmental health advocate and one of the amazing people we can't wait to see on Mt. Shasta in June!

Is 2011 your year to climb a mountain? There's still time to get your application in! Learn more about Climb Against the Odds, then let us know you're interested and we'll send you more information.

Week One: Breast Cancer Prevention Month

The release of our latest edition of State of the Evidence launched a month-long campaign to move the breast cancer conversation in October beyond awareness and to prevention. Through our online communities on Facebook and Twitter, we’re posting the latest themes in the emerging science linking breast cancer and exposures, tips for reducing your risk, action opportunities and things you can share with family and friends to spread the word. Here’s a roundup for week one of Breast Cancer Prevention Month:

Science Monday
One of the important themes from State of the Evidence explores the effect of chemicals at low doses. Growing evidence is finding that environmental toxicants, especially chemicals known as endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) that mimic hormones in the body, can have devastating effects at small levels. This is particularly a concern during gestation and early childhood when the body is developing. Learn more about low-dose exposures.  

Tips Tuesday
Many endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including bisphenol A (BPA), are found in our plastics, but there’s an easy way to help you identify what to avoid: just look for the recycling number on the bottom of plastic products. Check out our “What is the Connection Between Plastic and Breast Cancer” table in State of the Evidence to learn what the numbers represent.

Action Wednesday
To help you walk through the in-depth science, we’ve organized a series of Webinars. Sign up now to join the Breast Cancer Fund for our first State of the Evidence Webinar on October 20 to learn more about the environmental links to breast cancer, and what policy and personal changes can help reduce the risk.

Share Thursday
This week we also launched a new video, Breast Cancer Prevention Starts with Us, to help tell the story of breast cancer prevention through the voices of supporters who, like almost all of us, have been touched by this disease. Please watch the video and share it with your loved ones.

Help us continue the momentum to move beyond awareness to prevention.

Powerful New Video: Breast Cancer Prevention Starts with Us

The Breast Cancer Fund today released a new video that seeks to tell the story of breast cancer prevention through the voices of our supporters who, like almost all of us, have been touched by this disease. At a time when 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, their stories are ours.

 

We know enough to act now to stop this disease before it starts. Help us transform October into Breast Cancer Prevention Month. We hope you will watch this video and share it with your loved ones. Then find out what other ways you can support prevention this month, including reading and sharing State of the Evidence!

Burlington woman climbs for breast cancer prevention (Burlington Free Press, 5/19/10)

Lindsey Stair, 24, a member of the Breast Cancer Fund's 2010 Climb Against the Odds expedition, did a Q&A session with her local paper, Burlington Free Press, about her upcoming climb of Mt. Shasta. On Saturday, May 22, Lindsey will join her fellow East Coast teammates for a climb of New Hampshire's Mt. Washington, and she'll be sharing their experiences with Inside Prevention.

When Lindsey Stair of Burlington lost the love of her life, Lee Goldsmith, 25, to cancer last year,
her life came to a screeching halt. Now she is regaining her footing by training for the Breast
Cancer Fund's Climb Against the Odds 2010, a three-day expedition to the 14,179 foot summit
of Mount Shasta in Northern California.

Stair, 24, is a retail customer service representative at Isis in Burlington. We spoke with her at her office May 12.

Why did you decided to do this?

I had done small hikes before. I love the outdoors, but I had never considered doing a climb like this. I decided that I needed to try some new things in my life. Isis sponsors an employee to do this climb each year. They are heavily involved with the Breast Cancer Fund. After my boyfriend passed away, the letter came out inviting us to sign up for the climb, and I thought this was my time to do this. I need to do this for Lee. His mom has had two rounds of breast cancer. I need to do this for closure for myself. (Read the complete article)

Remembering Mom with a climb to the top of the world (Contra Costa Times, 5/7/10)

On June 16, Whitney Pond of Danville, Calif., will join a team of 26 women and men in a expedition to the summit of Mt. Shasta with the Breast Cancer Fund's 2010 Climb Against the Odds. The 16 year old will make this journey of a lifetime to honor her mother, who passed away five years ago to breast cancer.

Whitney Pond, 16, remembers her mother, Jerilyn, as a happy person. Outgoing. Creative. Fun to be around. Full of life.

"Jeri" Pond also loved biking and the outdoors, particularly spending time at the family's house at Stinson Beach.

So, it seems fitting that a group of family and friends honor her annually by hiking Mount Tamalpais in Marin for the Breast Cancer Fund under the team name "Jeri's Beach Club" following her death from the disease.

But this year, Whitney Pond will take the honor to a new level when she scales Mount Shasta, the second highest peak in the Cascades at 14,179 feet. (Read complete article.)

This October, perhaps prevention matters more than anything else

Each October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month creates a space for a conversation around the pervasiveness of breast cancer, and a special emphasis is often put on early detection, improving treatment and finding a cure.

Sadly, we are all too aware of this disease and its devastating impact. Anyone touched by breast cancer – whether you’ve been diagnosed or have supported a family member or friend through their diagnosis – wants to know why and what’s caused it.

As you now know, no more than 1 in 10 women with breast cancer has a genetic history of the disease, and mounting scientific evidence links the high rates to toxic chemicals and radiation exposure in our everyday environment. 

We’re at a turning point in this national conversation. As the link between environmental exposures and disease becomes higher profile, we’re hearing more and more women – and men – making the connection between their diagnosis and possible exposures during critical points in their life.

Most recently, 17 men have come forward about their breast cancer. What’s their connection?  Living on the base of Camp Lejeune in North Carolina where the drinking water had been heavily contaminated with benzene; trichloroethylene, an industrial degreaser; and dry cleaning solvent perchloroethylene – chemicals with a link to breast cancer.

At a time when virtually everyone in America has been touched by this disease, perhaps working toward prevention matters more than anything else.

During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’re asking for your help in spreading the word about the environmental causes of breast cancer, empowering those around you to learn more about the disease and make simple changes to reduce their risk, and taking action to call for good public policies that work to stop this disease before it starts.
And, we’ve made it easy to do. In October, you can:

• Spread the word that prevention matters. Sign-up to be a media advocate during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October (or anytime) by writing letters-to-the-editor or submitting comments to news stories or blogs about breast cancer that don’t talk about environmental exposures or primary prevention.

• Read 20 tips for breast cancer prevention, beginning October 1, on the Breast Cancer Fund's Facebook page! Dr. Janet Gray, editor of the Breast Cancer Fund’s 2008 State of the Evidence: The Connection Between Breast Cancer and the Environment report, will be contributing 20 tips on lowering your risk of breast cancer to the The Daily Green blog. We will be reposting a tip a day throughout the month.

• Urge your legislators throughout October to support public policies that put our health first and make prevention a priority. Visit the Breast Cancer Fund’s Action Center to support our advocacy initiatives that include banning BPA and calling for a national program that provides critical data to connect environmental exposures and diseases.

• Share an e-Card with family and friends. The Breast Cancer Fund and our corporate strategic partner LUNA launched PurePrevention.org in October 2007 to help raise awareness around this important issue. Throughout the site, you can find easy, everyday ways to reduce your risk and to engage your family and friends in prevention by sending a Pure Prevention e-Card. You can also share your story.

A few other opportunities for October:

• Looking for a gift this October? Shop the socially-responsible companies making a commitment to protect our environment and our bodies and supporting the Breast Cancer Fund.

• Create an outdoor challenge in support of the Breast Cancer Fund. On September 27, we held our 14th Peak Hike in Northern California. Over 500 women and men spent a beautiful day hiking for prevention, and for the first time, you can be part of the Peak Hike experience virtually by choosing your own challenge – whether hiking, swimming, running, etc. – and fundraising to support the Breast Cancer Fund.  Invite your family and friends to join you! 

Thank you for helping us make a difference. Your support will elevate the conversation about prevention and work toward stopping this disease before it starts.

Not MY Breasts

We launched a new network-building and fundraising campaign today called Not My Breasts.

We are engaging women (and men) around the idea that breast cancer can be prevented. Every time someone participates, $1 is donated to the Breast Cancer Fund's work on prevention.

The campaign is a fun, interactive Web site where you can make a personalized pledge to protect your breasts from breast cancer. You create a personal e-card based on your commitment to breast cancer prevention, sense of fun and artistic flair, which you can print, e-mail to your friends and even post on your own Web site if you wish. There are event simple tips you can take in your daily live to reduce your risk of breast cancer.

Check it out and, importantly, tell your friends.

Report from Penny's Big Ride

Longtime volunteer, breast cancer survivor and general superstar Penny Noble is riding her bike across the U.S. this summer to raise money for BCF. She sent me her latest ride report from Burley, Idaho:

"So far I have ridden 11 days and 761 miles and climbed about 30,000 feet. We started in Astoria and made it through the Cascades with one 117-mile day and lots of climbing--but not as steep as we have in the Bay Area, so I was pleasantly surprised, even though some of the uphills were 10 or 12 miles long. My body is holding up well but my knees have started to hurt a little.

"Had a chance to see my sister, my niece and great-niece on our day off in Boise and my sister, Cathy, had a chance to meet some of the other riders who are from 24 states and the average age is 57. I am the oldest woman!

"We have 75 riders so it is hard still to remember everybody's name, but I am getting better! I am also learning to eat at buffets since it is hard to feed 75 people any other way. We eat a lot!

"Oregon was beautiful and not too hot. I am worried about riding in the heat, but so far it was only one day of 95 degrees toward the end of the day and I did fine! 

"I am really honored that so many people have supported my ride and the Breast Cancer Fund and Debbie's Dream--thank you so much. It really means a lot to me to be riding for such good causes and know that you are helping me! Tomorrow we ride 110 miles and we leave at 6:30 to beat part of the heat, so I am signing off now to go to sleep. Next time I hope to include some pictures! 

Till next time,
Penny"

Read daily reports for the whole team at http://www.bamacyclist.com/Journal2007/North07/07north.htm. Go Penny! We're rooting for you!