“I am a survivor.” This simple, powerful phrase is why Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure exists. It’s why volunteers, partners and sponsors in Chattanooga have donated countless man-hours and dollars to the local chapter of the organization. It’s why Susan G. Komen has poured millions of locally donated funds back into the area in the form of complimentary services, charitable aid and education.
And it’s why Race for the Cure will return for a 12th run this month. The “cure” in the name of the organization, and the title of the race, refers to the search for a treatment for breast cancer, the most common cancer among women in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. The national organization says nearly 40,000 U.S. women will die from the disease this year alone. Although sobering, the number has gone down in recent years. Today, a woman has a one in eight chance of having invasive breast cancer during her lifetime. The odds she will die from the cancer are about one in 35. This is likely the result of early detection and better treatment, says Karen Edmondson, executive director of the local chapter of Susan G. Komen.
“The reason we emphasize screenings is the survival rate following early detection is 97 percent. When we started, it was 70 percent,” Edmondson says. Susan G. Komen has im-pacted the survival rate of breast cancer victims by funding support services, pouring dollars into research, and educating the public about the importance of self-exams.
Support services
Edmondson says 75 percent of the money the local chapter of Susan G. Komen raises is put to work in the 16-county area in Tennessee and Georgia it covers. The organization doesn’t provide support services directly, but gives money to programs that are actively combating breast cancer and then monitors their work. Since launching in 2000, the Chattanooga branch of Susan B. Komen has granted $2.6 million to these groups.
One such program is the MaryEllen Locher Foundation, which dispatches a mobile unit in which women with no health insurance or ability to pay for a breast cancer screening can be screened for free. Edmondson says a large number of individuals have made use of the mobile unit, especially as unemployment rates have gone up.
“Screening is the best protection against death from breast cancer, so we want every woman to be screened every year, whether or not they have symptoms or risk factors such as a history of breast cancer in their family.” While the American Cancer Society recommends annual screenings beginning at age 40, Edmondson is a proponent of vigilance at an early age because she’s seen women as early as their mid-twenties diagnosed with breast cancer. Susan G. Komen also gives money to an organization called Y-ME, which assists individuals who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and are suffering from financial hardship while undergoing treatment. “They assist women who are unable to pay their rent or utility bills, or who need help with groceries or childcare, or who have no way of getting to their treatments,” Edmondson says.
Research
Susan G. Komen also funds research focused on better treatment protocols and the search for a cure. Edmondson says Susan G. Komen dollars have partially or totally funded every medical advance related to breast cancer in the last 20 years.
“When we started, breast cancer was known as one kind of cancer; now we know it’s many different kinds of cancer, and when it comes back, it can come back as a different form of cancer. So the advancements have been tremendous. And while we still don’t have a cure, the research is becoming more targeted,” Edmondson says.
Education
Susan G. Komen CEO Nancy Brinker founded the organization in 1992 following the death of her sister from breast cancer. At the time, talking about breast cancer and the treatment options available to women was unthinkable, so Brinker promised her sister she’d do everything in her power to fight the disease. Today, Susan G. Komen volunteers fan out across their communities in a grassroots effort to teach groups of women about breast cancer and the importance of self-exams. Whether they’re participating in a health fair, distributing brochures, or talking with a family, they want to get people talking.
“There are pockets within our population in which it would be taboo to talk about women and their bodies, and we have a lot of cultural and linguistic hurdles to overcome to get the information out there. But we have to do it because some of these women might not know breast cancer runs in their family, and they might get a late stage diagnosis,” Edmondson says.
The 2011 Race for the Cure will take place September 25. To participate in the event or donate money to the organization, visit www.komenchattanooga.org.