If you haven’t heard by now, March is Women’s History Month! VBCF wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for five local women frustrated by the lack of support available for women with breast cancer – founders Phoebe Antrim, Judi Ellis, Patti Goodall, Sherry Kohlenberg, and Mary Jo Kahn. In this blog, we’ll honor Women’s History Month by sharing some of Mary Jo’s reflections on the history of our organization and take a look back at some of our favorite photos from over the years.
Mary Jo recently shared, “In 1991, after being diagnosed with breast cancer, I joined a support group with other strong, amazing women. We shared our sadness over our friends’ dying, our families’ disruptions, and our own sickness – but when our support group learned that the National Cancer Institute’s budget for breast cancer research that year was only $50,000 and the number of affected women just kept rising, our sadness turned to anger.”
Mother’s Day Rally for a Breast Cancer Cure
In a time when even talking about breast cancer could be considered taboo, Mary Jo and her friends set out to create the first breast cancer advocacy group in Virginia. As momentum grew, survivors and thrivers from all over the state stepped up to create their own chapters locally, educate their communities, and raise funds for our mission.
“Similar to our Richmond group, small organizations around the country were growing equally appalled by the lack of money available for research and the almost total silence in the media about this killer. Joining forces with women in every state, we vowed to no longer die quietly, and our united voices lead to our many successes.”
“We drastically increased the amount of federal money being spent on breast cancer research, we educated ourselves about all aspects of the disease, and we demanded and received a seat at all the tables where decisions were made. – – Separately, but simultaneously, there were strong, intelligent, articulate women from all over America saying, ‘enough is enough’. It was a true grassroots movement, not led from the top down but by the unified determination of many. At that moment, I realized we were an unstoppable force, and we would succeed.”
Thanks to the determination of these women, VBCF continues to work toward our vision to eradicate breast cancer more than 30 years after its creation in 1991. From the bill that required insurance companies to pay for reconstructive surgery due to breast cancer treatment in 1997 to the recent passing of the Lymphedema Treatment Act in early 2023, we continue to provide Virginians with knowledge and a voice in the fight against breast cancer. We have expanded our programs and recently updated our mission – to empower Virginians through access, education, advocacy, and community action.
“Due to state-of-the-art care and probably a lot of luck, I am fortunate, after two bouts of breast cancer, to be in long-term remission. I am grateful to the VBCF staff and volunteers that have continued our mission to fight for equitable, quality care and the ultimate eradication of this disease.”
For our full origin story, check out our blog, “The Power of Angry Women.”
Thank You to Mary Jo Kahn for sharing some of her story for this blog.
