Breast Cancer Action
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Breast Cancer Action is a national grassroots education and advocacy organization dedicating the ending the breast cancer epidemic. Based in San Francisco, BCA is perhaps best known for its Think Before You Pink] project, begun in 2002.
BCA's mission is "to carry the voices of people affected by breast cancer to inspire and compel the changes necessary to end the epidemic.
The organization does three primary things: - Provides information to anyone who needs it via its newsletter, web site and toll-free number. - Organizes people to do something besides worry. - Advocates for policy changes directed at achieving true prevention through understanding and eliminating the causes of breast cancer; working toward a true cure with treatments that don't nearly kill people or cause other diseases; and providing universal access to quality health care.
[edit] History
Breast Cancer Action was co-founded by Elenore Pred, Susan Claymon, and Linda Reyes in San Francisco in 1990:
BCA has received national media attention for being at the forefront of the breast cancer activist movement. Because of BCA and other advocacy organizations, the public has grown more aware of the grim statistics that describe the breast cancer epidemic:
An estimated 212,000 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2006
An estimated 61,980 new cases of breast carcinoma in situ will be diagnosed in 2006. Of these, 85% will be ductal carcinoma in situ.
41,430 deaths from breast cancer in 2006 (one death every 13 minutes)
For too many years, breast cancer was considered each woman's private trauma instead of the national public health emergency it is. Elenore Pred and her colleagues refused to let that happen any longer. As Elenore said, "This is not an individual woman's personal tragedy; it is a tragedy for all women and together we have the power to change things." Since Elenore Pred's death in October 1991, BCA has continued the work she began.
Breast Cancer Action has been referred to as the "bad girls of breast cancer." It was the first national breast cancer organization to enact a strict corporate contributions policy prohibiting the organization from accepting donations from companies or entities that profit from or contribute to breast cancer.
