By Bethany Zell
Special to the Aroostook Republican & News
In May of 2012, I attended the first of my annual Advocate Leadership Summits for the National Breast Cancer Coalition in Washington, D.C. Every year, as I attend the Summit, I am reminded of the tireless work of advocates around the globe … advocates just like my friend, Sarah Merchant, who I had the honor of meeting at that very first Summit event.
In 2010, at age 28, Sarah was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. As I sit and write this, my friend Sarah is fighting for her life in the care of hospice. I have met thousands of people who have a breast cancer diagnosis since I began my work with breast cancer in 2011. Although she isn’t the only person that I have met through the years with metastatic breast cancer, Sarah will soon be the very first friend that I have lost to this disease.
Each year at the annual Summit, every meeting and session throughout the four-day event begins with a moment of silence to celebrate those NBCC advocates who have passed away since the previous year’s Summit — those who have lost their fight with this horrific disease. My heart breaks as I think about the fact that the next time I see Sarah’s face, it will be — barring some divine intervention — in a moment of silence at next year’s National Breast Cancer Coalition Summit.
At the 2015 Advocate Leadership Summit in May, the NBCC paid tribute for the first time to a man, Peter Devereaux – one of 73 men who had been stationed at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base and ended up with a diagnosis of male breast cancer. Every year, these many moments of silence beg the question: When will it end?
I joined two other advocates from Maine, activists, survivors, researchers, policy-makers, academics, industry stakeholders, grassroots fundraisers, and local and national organizations from around the world to discuss just that … the end of breast cancer as laid out by the Coalition’s Breast Cancer Deadline 2020 campaign which was launched in 2010.
Fran Visco, NBCC president, shared a keynote address on the midpoint of Breast Cancer Deadline 2020. Attendees had the privilege of joining renowned breast cancer specialists like Dr. Susan Love, Dr. Aled Edwards, and Dr. H. Kim Lyerly for small group discussions.
The training Summit was an invaluable resource that encouraged and equipped us to return to our local communities to share the knowledge gained, our renewed passion for this cause and the urgency of the looming Breast Cancer Deadline 2020.
Before returning home, the three of us from Maine had the honor of meeting with Maine’s congressional leaders during the National Breast Cancer Coalition’s annual Lobby Day event held on the final day of the Summit, May 5. On Lobby Day, we met with staff from Representative Bruce Poliquin’s office to introduce the freshman Congressman to the National Breast Cancer Coalition and Breast Cancer Deadline 2020. Later in the day, we met with Sen. Susan Collins and presented her with an award on behalf of the National Breast Cancer Coalition.
Sen. Collins has always taken a leading role in helping pave the way for funding of the Department of Defense’s Breast Cancer Research Program. She has also consistently been a lead co-sponsor of the National Breast Cancer Coalition’s legislative piece, the Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act. The award that we presented to her was in thankful recognition of her continued support of our work.
Following our Lobby Day meeting with Sen. Angus King, he also signed on to the Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act.
These victories on Lobby Day do not mean that our work is done. There is still much to do in our mission to end breast cancer once and for all. Unfortunately, for my friend Sarah, 2020 will be far too late. The advocates who descend upon D.C. each year don’t do this for their breast cancer. They do it for the children and the generations that will follow.
The global fight is not over, even though Sarah’s personal fight will be soon. We will continue to press on and successfully meet the Deadline head on … for Peter, for Sarah and for all of the other advocates who are now unable to continue in battle with us.
Breast cancer is going down. We will see that it does. Will you join us in our fight? Visit www.pinkaroostook.org or email bzell@carymed.org to find out how you can get involved.
Bethany Zell of Caribou is the program director for Pink Aroostook, president of Maine Breast Cancer Coalition and Maine team leader/field coordinator for National Breast Cancer Coalition. Three days after the writing of this article, Sarah Merchant died of breast cancer at the age of 34.
