Lauder was convinced that breast cancer (which she was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in 1987) cannot be defeated only with individual efforts but through the work of a community devoted to its eradication. For this reason, she created the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and with the help of Self magazine’s former director, Alexandra Penney, they began the pink ribbon campaign, which has become an international emblem of the fight against breast cancer.
New Campaign urges people to take action together to defeat breast cancer
More than two decades after Evelyn Lauder died of ovarian cancer, the Estee Lauder Companies continue her legacy with its campaign: Take Action Together to Defeat Breast Cancer. The unifying slogan promotes solidarity and stresses the global desire to eradicate breast cancer.
In 1993, Mrs. Evelyn H. Lauder founded the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), a not-for-profit organization that invests in breast cancer research. Its well-known campaign, the BCA campaign, active in more than 70 countries, has helped save millions of lives and fund critical breast cancer research. Since its inception, the campaign has raised more than $65 million to support global research, education and medical services, with more than $50 million going to the funding of 200 BCRF medical research grants worldwide.
Statistics show that, in their lifetime, about one in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer. On a global level, each country faces diverse challenges. In many areas, the awareness efforts are lackluster, there is still a stigma attached to the disease, and access to medical care is almost non-existent. In the US, where the stigma has disappeared, and there is broad awareness of the illness, some women can’t afford mammography, the procedure that could save their lives. Many other American women lead unhealthy lifestyles, which can increase their chances of getting ill. Breast cancer now represents 25% of all cancers in women, affecting both victims and those close to them. While every breast cancer story is different, one thing is constant: the desire to beat the illness.
Elizabeth Hurley, Estée Lauder spokeswoman and Global Ambassador of the BCA Campaign is one of the many who has been personally impacted by breast cancer. In 1992, her grandmother passed away from the disease. Hurley said, “I truly believe there’s strength in numbers and strength in unity. Together, we can take action to defeat this terrible disease that touches so many of us.”
Ambassador Elizabeth Hurley offers tips
Donations can be made through BCACampaign.com, while varying sales percentages and dollar values from various products from the Estée Lauder Companies will go toward the BCRF. Previously, and just to name a few, funds have resulted in the development of an early-phase breast cancer vaccine trial and a weight loss program for women in hopes of preventing re-occurrences or metastasis. In honor of this year’s campaign, the website is featuring editorial pieces from diverse voices from the cancer community as they explain their personal connections to the illness.
varying sales percentages and dollar values from various products from the Estee Lauder Companies will benefit the BCRF ■
