Dear Friends,

The RI Breast Cancer Coalition advocates are committed to supporting and promoting the Breast Cancer Deadline 2020 Campaign initiated by the National Breast Cancer Coalition.  We believe this Deadline can be met and we are fully engaged in its efforts to identify a vaccine to prevent breast cancer and research to identify why and how the disease spreads to other organs causing metastatic disease which women ultimately causes a woman’s death.

Integral to the success of Breast Cancer Deadline 2020 is a change in the conversation about breast cancer. Media, advocates, survivors, researchers, policy makers and others must be educated in order to shift the essential public dialogue about breast cancer from awareness and mammography to prevention and saving lives.
Leaders in government, industry and all areas are being urged to embrace the Deadline with courage and conviction and make ending breast cancer a priority.  Members of the RI Breast Cancer Coalition are interacting with our Congressional  Delegation in Washington DC to push for appropriate policies and discussions about breast cancer. Strategies include a petition drive, the design of legislation that compliments the campaign and advocacy efforts that secure declarations of support from policy leaders.

The Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act has been introduced in the US Senate by Sen.  Sheldon Whitehouse and in the House of Representatives as well.
One of the primary objectives of Breast Cancer Deadline 10120 is to facilitate collaboration in all areas of research and minimize unnecessary competition.  NBCC is leading an effort to encourage all stakeholders involved in research, particularly the scientific community, to work together to create synergy and develop partnerships to advance the pace if research.  

Breast Cancer Deadline 2020 has one goal: By January 1, 2020, we must understand how to prevent people from getting breast cancer in the first place and how to prevent them from dying from the disease.  Breast cancer advocates are engaged throughout the process to make certain that location, economic status, and societal factors are not barriers to access. NBCC provides survivors and other advocates the education, tools, training and actions that enable us to take leadership roles in clinical, scientific, policy and legislative decision making that affects breast cancer research and public policy.

We invite YOU to become a trained breast cancer advocate and participate in ending this disease for the next generation.  Ribbons, races and walks will never end breast cancer.  WANTED: Assertive, committed, individuals not satisfied with the status quo and willing to push the envelope and demand actions to end breast cancer by the end of the decade.    

• Gather signatures for the petition to the President.

Please visit BreastCancerCaucus.org today. Working together we can end breast cancer by January 1, 2020.

Thank you,
Rhode Island Breast Cancer Coalition
                    and
National Breast Cancer Coalition

2013 Legislative and Public Policy Priorities

Weight loss program for women who have had breast cancer

Location: The Miriam Hospital
Time: This program will have eight 45 minute meetings over a 12 week period.
When: groups start every couple of months.
Cost: $120.00.
Contact: Mary M. Flynn, PhD, RD, LDN
401.793.4707
Mary_Flynn@brown.edu

Breakthrough Designation

Breast Cancer Drug Receives Breakthrough Designation from FDA -. Read more.

BreastCancerDeadline2020.org

The National Breast Cancer Coalition is putting a deadline on awareness. Join the action to end breast cancer by 2020. Click here to view a video.

Affordable Health Care Act

Read about the impact on Rhode Island. Click here.

At the heart of it I would give you
The threads of all that made this cloth….
The blaze of the sugar maples in late afternoon, fallen leaves, paling, turning brown,crackling around our ankles as we scuffed long.

The smell of fires in the Saturday dusk,
Our fathers in plaid woolen shirts lean on
their rakes…contemplating their kingdoms with satisfied eyes.
Behind steamy kitchen windows
our mothers, benevolent in homemade shirtwaists and aprons stand watch.

Come home when the lamps come on.

We learned to watch for the softening of
the day,
The easing into dark.
Just at the hour when edges fade,
the streetlamps would send us home.

An original poem by Joy Veaudry, RIBCC member and trained breast cancer advocate. Joy died after a long struggle with her diagnosis and metastatic disease. She had 2 books of poetry published. This reading is from her book "A Clear Path Home".