SPECIAL EVENT

hile the COVID-19 pandemic made plans for the annual in-person luncheon impossible , the mission of Celebrating Women remained the same because we know that breast cancer doesn ’ t quarantine .

Wishing to keep everyone as safe as possible , Celebrating Women instead focused on sharing its important mission with an even with an even wider virtual audience throughout the month of October . Weekly online communications highlighted how philanthropic support enables Baylor Scott & White Health to invest in research and programs that better serve women , like the High-Risk Breast Program , the Texas Immuno-oncology Biorepository ( TIOB )

and the Baylor Scott & White Community Care Clinics . Importantly , this effort also encouraged women to schedule their mammograms and , under the leadership of Celebrating Women chairman Peggy Meyer and underwriting chairman Jill Tananbaum , raised nearly $ 1.3 million to advance the fight against breast cancer .

The month-long effort culminated in a virtual event on October 28 . Presented by Tom Thumb and Albertsons Companies Foundation , this final event featured a conversation with Lucy Wallace ,

MD , a breast surgical oncologist on the medical staff at Baylor Scott & White Charles A . Sammons Cancer Center , and Mehmet Oz , MD , cardiothoracic surgeon and host of “ The Dr . Oz Show .”

Thanks to the community ’ s generous support , Baylor Scott & White has been able to make significant investments in patient-centered care , advanced technology and innovative research to better serve patients battling this disease . One way Celebrating Women is making an impact this year is thanks to the unwavering support of faithful friend Paula Walker . Her generous gift to Celebrating Women will help expand the High-Risk Breast Program beyond the two locations in Dallas , and impact even more women in North Texas who may be at risk for this disease , but unaware .

Over the last 21 years , more than $ 36 million has been raised to support this effort .

To see the stories shared during Celebrating Women 2020 , or to support this effort , please visit BSWHealth . com / CelebratingWomen .

Stories shared throughout October

Sylvia Mendez , a 41-year-old wife and mom of three , shared what it was like to be diagnosed with breast cancer at the beginning of a pandemic .

The recently launched TIOB aims to improve our understanding of cancer by collecting and studying biological samples over time . The goal is to treat cancer better and detect it earlier — possibly through a simple blood test in the future .

The High-Risk Breast Program began in 2020 to help women raised in North Texas better understand their personal risk and identify breast cancers at their earliest and most treatable stages .

Diana Johnson , diagnosed with breast cancer in her first year of marriage at age 27 , shared her uplifting outlook and gratitude for the care she received at Baylor Scott & White .

Baylor Scott & White Community Care Clinics help patients receive care they would otherwise be unable to afford , including mammograms , diagnostic imaging and biopsies for women facing a possible breast cancer diagnosis .

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THE COMPASS / BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE FOUNDATION NEWS / WINTER 2020