Current breast cancer incidence in the United States shows that one in eight women will be diagnosed in her lifetime. With such high rates, it is safe to say that enough “awareness” has been raised for this devastating epidemic. Now meaningful action is needed to prevent the disease from continuing at this pace. The Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition (MBCC), a grassroots education and advocacy group in Massachusetts, is filling this void in the national fight against the disease.

“The problem is, prevention isn’t profitable,” explains MBCC Executive Director Cheryl Osimo, regarding the small nonprofit’s efforts to counter pink ribbon campaigns fueled by multitudes of corporate sponsorships. “Promoting early detection, researching treatment options, and searching for a cure are significant missions, but the most important goal is to prevent breast cancer from developing in the first place. The failure to work toward primary prevention is to seal the fate of the one in eight women doomed to suffer a diagnosis during her lifetime.”

Unfortunately, less than 7% of the money raised toward non-government breast cancer organizations goes to research specifically on prevention. The vast majority of pink ribbon nonprofits do not acknowledge – and some even avoid – research supporting preventable environmental links to breast cancer such as exposure to chemical carcinogens. MBCC calls attention to this and educates people on ways to reduce these exposures. Relying strongly on donations from citizens like you, MBCC is able to continue working to prevent women and their families from having to endure the hardship of breast cancer diagnoses, painful treatment regimens, and expensive healthcare costs.

To join MBCC’s efforts, please make a donation and sign up for the MBCC email list at www.mbcc.org. You are also invited to subscribe to MBCC’s educational video series on YouTube, join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter, and get involved with their annual Against the Tide events in Hopkinton, MA on June 21 and in Brewster, MA on August 16. If you can’t attend either event, consider making a pledge of $10 or more to the “MBCC Team for Breast Cancer Prevention” at www.mbcc.org/swim. There are many ways to get involved, and your energy and participation are greatly needed and valued.

The Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition (MBCC) is dedicated to preventing environmental causes of breast cancer through community education, research advocacy, and changes to public policy.

Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition

Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition

The Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition is dedicated to preventing environmental causes of breast cancer through community education, research advocacy, and changes to public policy.

More from Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition