July 2015
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Educate.

VBCF volunteers will once again host Becky's Place at RAM (Remote Area Medical) July 17-19, 2015 in Wise, VA. This event brings health care screening, services, and education to Wise County, an extremely rural area of Virginia. VBCF runs the cancer education program tent and provides volunteers for child care and other support services. Please consider supporting the Volunteer’s Wish List.
 
Request a free Newly Diagnosed Packet: This packet contains resources and information to help those newly diagnosed with breast cancer, including resources for care and support in Virginia’s local communities, as well as information from trusted organizations to provide a general understanding of breast cancer.   Click here for more information.
 
Free Online Training for Patient Navigators: The George Washington University (GW) Cancer Institute has launched the Oncology Patient Navigator Training: a FREE online training offering a series of self-paced modules based on the first-ever consensus-based Core Competencies for Patient Navigators. The comprehensive training covers all the necessary fundamental information to effectively navigate patients. Learn more here. 
 
Sister's Network Central Virginia is celebrating its 10th Anniversary by hosting an educational forum with national speaker Dr. Susan Love on Saturday, July 18 at 12 noon at Virginia Union University in Richmond. Learn more here.
 
Register for Living Beyond Breast Cancer ’s July webinar: Metastatic Breast Cancer: Understanding and Finding Clinical Trials on Tuesday, July 14 from noon – 1 p.m. ET. Learn more and register here.

Advocate.

Join VBCF’s Advocacy Action Alert list to receive breast cancer related “Calls to Action” for state and federal legislation. Action Alerts are sent “as needed” with periods of high and low communication. Click here to subscribe.

The Supreme Court ruled in King v. Burwell to uphold the legality of insurance subsidies in all states under the Affordable Care Act. This means that individuals who receive their health insurance through an exchange established by the federal government - as in Virginia - will continue to be eligible for tax subsidies. The ruling brings relief to approximately 286,000 Virginians who rely on subsidies to purchase health insurance through the exchange. VBCF applauds the Supreme Court’s decision, ensuring women and men diagnosed with breast cancer who rely on subsidies for their health care needs will continue to have access to treatment.    

Thank You!

Thank you to the supporters and attendees of the 6th annual Night of Honky Tonk Angels on June 7th including sponsor LifeCare Medical Transports and support from Capital Ale House and Omni Richmond Hotel. Watch pre-event WTVR coverage here.

Thank you to the supporters and participants of the Girls Rolling in the South (GRITS) bowling tournament held June 12-14. A fun time for a great cause!

Thank you to Ken and Tracey Richardson for hosting a June 27th event and online CrowdRise fundraiser in memory of Sheron Richardson – a great way to honor their loved one.  

Recent Breast Cancer News
Adding common hormone to treatment could slow half of breast cancers

New research published in Nature suggests that adding the common hormone progesterone to their treatment could benefit around half of breast cancer patients.

The international team of researchers came to this conclusion after examining breast cancer cells that had been "rescued" for research.

They found that progesterone appears to slow cancer cell growth by changing estrogen receptor interaction with DNA.

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More Mammograms May Not Always Mean Fewer Cancer Deaths

Here's more evidence that mammograms don't always deliver the results that women want. They find more small cancers, but don't lower a woman's risk of dying of breast cancer, a study finds.

The study looked at data from 547 U.S. counties that reported the percentage of women over age 40 who had a screening mammogram between 1998 and 2000. More than 16 million women lived in those counties, and 53,207 were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000.

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Early Menarche May Be Important in Development of Aggressive Breast Cancer in African-American Women

Early age at menarche, or first menstrual cycle, could play a role in the disproportionate incidence of estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancers diagnosed among African-American women, according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.


Battling cancer with exercise, nutrition and mental health

Exercise, mental health, nutrition — these are all areas that can affect how someone lives during and after cancer treatment.

Before Gabriela Dow's cancer diagnosis, her schedule, which involved juggling professional commitments with motherhood, left little time for working out. But when her oncologist recommended that she exercise during treatment, she started walking. "I learned early on that moving made me feel so much better, especially before the tiredness really set in," says Dow.

 

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Since 1991, the volunteers and staff of the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation have worked tirelessly to fulfill the mission of our organization – the eradication of breast cancer through education and advocacy.

We cannot do this without your help.  Give generously to the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation to help us continue our vital work. This is a fight we want to win.