Founder's Note

Hello. You last heard from us at the end on July and we are sorry that our updates have been a little late getting out this year. Fortunately that means we have been busy and putting our electronic newsletter together has taken a little bit of a backseat. So..lets bring you up to speed. We received some feedback after we sent out our last newsletter stating that our updates are a little too wordy and therefore difficult to get through so we are going to make every effort from this point on to make them more reader friendly- thanks to those of you who shared your thoughts - it helps us be better and reach more people.

So..lets hit the highlights of the last few months:

August

I had a great speaking engagement at East Carolina University speaking to the faculty, staff, and students from the School of Social Work. I also met a young woman who was diagnosed this year with breast cancer and is trying to start up a young patient/survivor support group in Greenville, N.C. If you are interested please contact me at: info@myselftogetheragain.org
We also exhibited in August at the American Cancer Society's North Carolina Latino Cancer forum in Raleigh, N.C. and we were able to give away 100 of our Spanish booklets thanks to the wonderful donations we received this year. ACS and the women who attended the conference were so excited to get free materials to use in their clinics and hospitals.

September

In September I had a great trip to San Diego to put on a Women re-Hooked event and also I was the speaker for a fundraiser out there for San Diego's Young Survival Coalition Chapter. They have a strong YSC chapter out there which was amazing to see - completely run by patients/survivors. The re-Hooked event at Nordstrom was a huge success and some of the women left with as many as 6 bras that their insurance companies paid for. If you missed our last newsletter please click here and read more about how your insurance company will pay for bras in most cases.

Women re-Hooked Event

San Diego Event

Image by Kate McGuire Photography

Overall, San Diego was a great trip and the women who hosted me were wonderful- thanks especially to Amy, Kristin, and Amanda - hope to see you soon! Maybe in Texas at the YSC conference??
In September I also spoke at a Red Sword Guild meeting in Raleigh and enjoyed getting to know what the Guild does. If you live in Raleigh I encourage you to get involved with the American Cancer Society and volunteer with the Guild- ACS’s local number is (919) 334-5218.

October

October is always busy due to it being Breast Cancer awareness month. Since I was going to be almost 8 months pregnant the plan was to do events close to home. A few of the places where I spoke and exhibited were: ZTA sorority at UNC Chapel Hill for their "Think Pink" week, Duke Hospital - Social Work Colloquium, and Carolina Medical Spa's night honoring patients and survivors. I loved being in North Carolina this year and doing the local events - it is amazing to see how far we have come in this area in terms of getting our booklets into hospitals, physician offices, and most importantly into patient’s hands - a big thanks to those of you in the Triangle area who continue to circulate the booklets.
Also, in October, our favorite shoetique in Raleigh, Walk ran a fundraiser for M:TA and gave discounts for donations. Thank you Lisa and crew!!!!

This brings us to November and I am due to have my baby in about 2 weeks so needless to say we have no events scheduled for the remainder of the year. Our focus in the coming months will be to decide what we will focus on in 2009 and I will be determining how much I want to travel with the project. Booklet sales and shipping will continue as usual as well as giving out free booklets when we have the opportunity.

I would like to close by saying a big thank you to the Harris-Legacy Foundation who has generously given another grant to M:TA. We were so touched to receive this grant again and it has allowed us to do so much. Thank you Lawson, Tommy, and the entire Harris family! Also, we appreciate all of the 2008 donations we received and those donations have allowed us to put on our events. We wish more people/places would take us up on the opportunity to host Women re-Hooked events in other cities, but I think since we have mentioned in our Newsletters that Nordstrom and Dillards are two great stores that have wonderful professional bra fitters, patients are getting out there and getting fitted properly on their own and that is what we want. Please take advantage of what your insurance company will pay for as well - it is a pain to make the phone call but when you can leave a store with free bras following reconstruction it will be worth it - I promise.*

Happy early holidays to everyone. We will not be sending out our holiday newsletter that usually sums up our year. Instead we will be touching base in January and sharing what 2009 will bring. Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season and New Year.

~Debbie
M:TA Project Creator and a young breast cancer survivor

*I should also mention here that it has been brought to my attention that many small bra boutiques also have professional fitters and some are willing to take on the insurance filing as well. So, if you have a local bra shop in your area, check with them as well as the big department stores.

Other News

The 2009 Young Survival Coalition Conference is scheduled for February 27 - March 1 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, TX. Visit the conference website at www.youngsurvivorsconference.org to get more information or to register for the event. YSC and Living Beyond Breast Cancer's Annual Conference for Young Women Affected by Breast Cancer is the only international event focused on the unique needs and issues faced by young women who are diagnosed with breast cancer. M:TA has exhibited at this conference for 3 years and hopes to make it in 2009.
During my time in San Diego I met a young woman who recently had a prophylactic double mastectomy after learning of her BRAC status. She told us about a website: www.bebrightpink.org that offers peer support due to genetic predisposition to breast and ovarian cancer. It is a great resource- check it out.