Founder of Susan G. Komen Foundation Shares Story With Students
Written by Carolyn Susman
Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, internationally known for her fight against breast cancer, quietly rallied the troops in her diplomatic way during a speech Tuesday to Dreyfoos School of the Arts students.
Brinker, who founded the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in memory of her sister who died of the disease, told the 200 students in Meyer Hall that to really become involved in the cause they need “to ramp up attendance” at the Race for the Cure.”
The annual event, which is geared to raising awareness, has raised more than $300 million for breast cancer research, she said.
“One mile from here you have women who are dying who have no access (to care),” she said, referring to the area surrounding the school. “My personal goal is a commitment to young scientists to fight this disease.”
More than 1,100 people in Palm Beach County are diagnosed with breast cancer annually, Brinker said.
Brinker, like her sister, inherited a defective gene that can lead to breast cancer. Brinker was diagnosed in 1983 and underwent a double mastectomy and a “stiff course of chemo.” She doesn’t often speak of her own battle with breast cancer.
She talks about it in her book, Promise Me: How a Sister’s Love Launched the Global Movement to End Breast Cancer, dedicated to her fight to beat breast cancer. Brinker gave copies to the students who attended her lecture.
Brinker, who had served as U.S. Ambassador to Hungary and chief of protocol of the United States during the George W. Bush administration, is now the World Health Organization’s goodwill ambassador for cancer control.
She also is a model of how a self-described dyslexic tomboy turned herself into a stylish leader who can now address a group of hundreds of strangers without missing a word.
“I was an academic disaster. Learning disabled. A bad test-taker,” she said. But she learned to say the word “breast” loudly and clearly. For many years, she told the teenagers in the audience, no one would say the words “breast cancer” or refer to the “Big C.” It was a source of shame and embarrassment.
“Everyone told us no one would talk about breast cancer out loud,” she said, recalling her early efforts to get an unnamed bra company to pin information on mammograms on its products.
“They said, ‘We’re about fashion, not dying.’
“It is important to know that, 35 years ago, when Suzy was diagnosed, breast cancer wasn’t just a life-threatening disease. It was a social stigma. Many people thought it might be contagious. After her diagnosis, Suzy would go for a walk and people would cross the street to avoid being near her,” Brinker said.
She also spoke on other issues after her talk.
When asked what she thought the jobs of the future might be, Brinker mentioned tourism, technology and languages.
“I think you should all know Chinese,” she said. “I encourage you to travel and live a period of your life overseas.” That will lead to a new perspective, she told the students.
When she was asked about avoiding political pressures, she smiled briefly. She may have been thinking of the backlash in 2012 against the Komen Foundation when it cut off grants to Planned Parenthood. Though Komen reversed its decision, Brinker stepped down from her post as CEO in August.
“I am singly focused on breast cancer,” she said. “We got tangled up in the last election in a way that never should have happened. Our goal is to help people living with this disease.”
The event was sponsored by the Dreyfoos Women’s Empowerment Club and the Think Pink Kids Club.
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Source: Palm Beach Daily News
