Rebecca Farm announced that it awarded $71,000 to national and local organizations in the fight against breast cancer in the second year of its “Halt Cancer at X” initiative.
“This was another exceptional year supporting Halt Cancer at X and the fund raising campaign to benefit national breast cancer research and local outreach programs,” said Sarah Broussard, organizer of The Event at Rebecca Farm. “We are pleased to continue support for a national research project in an effort to save the lives of our loved ones. Two other local projects will benefit the Flathead Valley community and fulfill my family’s wish to educate and support those with breast cancer.”
For a second year, $50,000 was awarded to a research project being conducted by doctors at the universities of Utah and California.
“It is efforts like Halt Cancer at X that will help bring an end to the devastation caused by breast cancer,” said Mario Capecchi, distinguished professor of human genetics and biology at the University of Utah, who was a winner of The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2007. “Many of us have directly observed it among family members or very close friends. Much better management of this cancer will be available in the future, but this will require more thorough understanding to identify its weak points. Dr. Simon Titen’s work will contribute to this understanding.”
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and the second most frequent cause of cancer related death in women. The research project is directed at identifying new more effective gene targets and novel therapeutic agents to prevent breast cancer progression by taking an innovative approach to understanding mammary tumor cells.
“We are making exciting progress generating new tools to understand the initiation of breast cancer and to discover new targets to eradicate breast cancer earlier and more effectively,” said Titen. “With the financial difficulties crippling our government, progress in all basic research is suffering, but your willingness to stand by your convictions to eradicate this disease will directly allow this research to continue. We will continue to work tirelessly in the hopes that one day no further lives will be threatened by breast cancer.”
Kalispell Regional Medical Center’s Winkley Coach mobile clinic was granted $15,000 for the purposes of expanding the mobile screening clinic to twice per month over the next year to help eliminate the barriers to early detection of breast cancer for the Flathead Valley community.
“Only 40-50 percent of women in our community and surrounding areas receive annual screening mammograms as recommended,” said Dr. Melissa Hulvat, breast surgical oncologist at Kalispell Regional Medical Center’s Bass Breast Center. “In our perpetual efforts to improve screening rates, this grant will truly benefit the women and community that we all love.”
The Body Mind & Spirit Workshop at Kalispell Regional Medical Center was granted $6,000 to offer this workshop bimonthly for the next year to local cancer patients. In this four hour workshop/retreat, participants learn from an expert team how they can tap into their inner resources and develop strategies to live life at their highest potential.
“For patients recovering from or undergoing cancer treatment, physical healing, emotional wellbeing, and mental health need attention,” said Lynn Andenoro, manager for Northwest Oncology and Hematology Department of Kalispell Regional Medical Center. “When emotions are in turmoil, the mind is bombarded with obsessive thoughts, and health and wellbeing may be compromised. It is important to strive for balance by nurturing the whole body-including mind, spirit, and nutrition.”
The awards were presented at a press conference at The Rebecca Chaney Broussard Center for Nursing and Health Science at Flathead Valley Community College.
The annual Event at Rebecca Farm is an equestrian triathlon that attracts more than 500 competitors and thousands of spectators every July. Halt Cancer at X was started in memory of The Event’s founder, Becky Broussard.
This summer $13,000 was raised through contributions collected from a $5 spectator parking donation. $58,000 was raised through pledges collected by competitors and other donations both large and small.