Blog

Breast Cancer Activist Starts New Venture

Details: Published: Thursday, 11 October 2018 18:07

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Fern Orenstein is currently a member of Zero Breast Cancer’s Scientific Advisory Group and was a founding board member of our organization, serving a total of 20 years! The above picture was taken when she was an honoree at our 2016 Honor Our Healer event. We are pleased to share with you a blog Fern wrote about her newest endeavor: A 3D nipple and areola tattooing nonprofit for breast cancer survivors.

Volunteer Spotlight: Karen and Maddie Loebbaka

Details: Published: Wednesday, 10 October 2018 10:31

Karen and Maddie dipsea

Mother/daughter team Karen and Maddie Loebbaka have been volunteering for Zero Breast Cancer’s Annual Dipsea Hike for 5 years—starting when Maddie was 11! Karen heard about the hike 6 years ago from a friend who is a breast cancer survivor and participated as a hiker the first year she was involved. Then, she and Maddie got interested in volunteering through the National Charity League, a nonprofit that promotes the benefits of mothers and daughters doing volunteer service together. If you’ve recently participated in the hike, you likely met them at the registration table, which they are well-experienced at running.

Reflections on the Dipsea Hike from an Oregonian

Details: Published: Wednesday, 03 October 2018 22:54

ZBC Dipsea Display Table

For the past year I have been working as the Communications Coordinator for Zero Breast Cancer from Southern Oregon. From the start, the mission statement of focusing on breast cancer prevention stood out to me as a unique perspective, as so many breast cancer organizations overlook these root causes. While I have forged strong relationships with my colleagues and an understanding of the organization from a distance, by recently attending the 16th Annual Dipsea Hike I gained a deeper sense of the wonderful work that ZBC does and the people they serve.

ZBC Receives Generous Bequest

Details: Published: Saturday, 22 September 2018 12:00

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Sixteen years ago, Zero Breast Cancer’s Dipsea Hike was founded in memory of Andrea “Annie” Fox. Annie worked for the county, was an active athlete—a member of the Tamalpa Runners—and she loved Mt. Tamalpais. She was a founding board member of Marin Breast Cancer Watch, which is now Zero Breast Cancer. Annie was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 31 and died of her disease at age 35 in 2002 just before the first hike. Amongst others, Annie was survived by her mother Marjorie Bonner and her significant other at the time, Chris Stewart—a tireless organizer and volunteer who makes our annual hike possible.

Marjorie was a donor to Marin Breast Cancer Watch since 2001, she founded the Andrea Fox Fund managed by the Marin County Board of Supervisors and continued to support Zero Breast Cancer for over 15 years.

Get to Know the ZBC Board: Kevin Gay

Details: Published: Friday, 24 August 2018 16:17

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Kevin Gay shares his enthusiasm for Zero Breast Cancer in this month’s Get to Know the Board interview. In his second year as a board member, Kevin’s financial management expertise and knowledge of nonprofit governance have been invaluable to advancing the ZBC mission.

Breast Cancer Survivors Need More Support After Active Treatment Ends! ZBC Learns More

Details: Published: Tuesday, 14 August 2018 17:45

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The period after active treatment is a time of heightened anxiety for many breast cancer survivors as they graduate from medical routines and also become concerned about recurrence. Zero Breast Cancer has spent the last couple of years laying the groundwork for an integrated, evidence-based educational campaign focused on breast cancer recurrence prevention for survivors. In order to ensure our campaign meets the needs of post-treatment survivors—especially underserved survivors, including racial/ethnic minorities, gender/sexual minorities and people who have lower incomes—we have been working with patients, survivors, caregivers and the professionals that serve them to collect information and better understand diverse points-of-view. We would like to take a moment to update you on our current work in the area.

Get to Know the ZBC Board: Lexi Mele-Algus

Details: Published: Thursday, 19 July 2018 11:10

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Next up in the Get to Know the ZBC Board series is Lexi Mele-Algus. Lexi got to know Zero Breast Cancer as a pro-bono business consultant through the Taproot Foundation. Once that assignment was completed, Lexi jumped at the opportunity to join our board. In her year and a half as a board member, she has continued to draw upon her expertise in the field of healthcare systems to support and advance the strategic mission of ZBC.

Health Benefits of Tai Chi and Qigong

Details: Published: Tuesday, 17 July 2018 15:47

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Physical activity is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your health. It reduces the risk of many diseases, including breast cancer. It can also lead to better outcomes for people who have breast cancer and reduce the risk of reoccurrence for those who have recovered from the disease.

Did you know that you don’t have to drip sweat to see the benefits of exercise? For example, tai chi is a gentle exercise that shows similar benefits to more vigorous activities. It may improve the immune system, cardio-vascular fitness, strength, flexibility, balance, stress level and sleep.

Get to Know the ZBC Board: Judy Wetterer

Details: Published: Wednesday, 20 June 2018 15:04

Judy Wetterer blog for web2

In this month’s Get to Know the ZBC Board interview, Judy Wetterer shares her wisdom as a survivor and advocate for breast cancer risk reduction. She has been involved in ZBC from the very beginning of the organization when it was Marin Breast Cancer Watch, later served as a member of the ZBC Teen Initiative Task Force and is now in her third year as a member of the board.