Dear friends and family,
This August I’ll be celebrating my 50th birthday. It has also been 5 years since my breast cancer diagnosis. This is a milestone that allows for a bit of relief and a somewhat different perspective. From this vantage point, what I feel most grateful for is my incredible network of support – starting with all of you. Your presence, love and friendship has carried me through the shock of a diagnosis, recovering from surgeries, and navigating the fear and anxiety that comes with it. You have been there to talk, listen, laugh, go for walks, supply endless amounts of cookies and help me get back on my feet.
I often recall the day after my diagnosis – the day we had to figure out what to do. We had to get educated quickly and find doctors that could help. I felt vulnerable, powerless and scared. Shai must have called everyone we ever met, and eventually we connected with Eva Dubin, a breast cancer survivor and co-founder of the Dubin Breast Center at Mt. Sinai. From the instant that I entered the Dubin Breast Center and met Dr. Port, I knew that I would be ok.
Reflecting on 5 years, having received excellent care from Dr. Port and the team at DBC, and even with my fair share of bumps in the road, I have felt confident, strong, and safe. My intention in sharing this with you is to ask for you to join me in helping other women navigating their diagnosis and treatment plans. To find a way to alleviate the stress and fear that comes with entering the world of breast cancer and finding your way through.
For my birthday, in lieu of gifts, please join us in supporting Mount Sinai’s Mobile Mammography Program. Not only does the mobile mammography program provide screening, and potentially life-saving early detection, but it links women into the Mt. Sinai and DBC community, providing expert medical attention and holistic care that may otherwise be a challenge to find. Please find more information about the mobile mammography program below and a link to my donation page.
With much love,
Kate
About The Mount Sinai Mobile Mammography Program
The Mount Sinai Mobile Mammography Program addresses healthcare disparities by providing underserved communities with access to advanced screening technologies and education. Launched in 2018, the program is crucial in New York City, where 6,000 new breast cancer cases are diagnosed annually, and over 1,000 lives are lost. Alarmingly, 1 in 4 women over 40 do not receive regular screenings, with significant barriers for women of color. Our goal is to eliminate these barriers and ensure women receive annual mammograms. To date, our mobile unit has screened nearly 9,500 women, including over 1,000 who were uninsured and more than 80% women of color.