Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization

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Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization or Y-ME (previously Breast Cancer Network of Strength),[1] was a Chicago-based national nonprofit organization with the mission to assure, through information, empowerment and peer support, that no one faces breast cancer alone. Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization did not fund research but did advocate for research. The organization closed in 2012.

Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization's headquarters was in Chicago, but it had support groups[2] throughout the United States, which provided peer support, educational programs, and coordinated advocacy efforts.

Y-ME's main program was the Y-ME Hotline, the only multilingual 24-hour breast cancer hotline in the country,[3] staffed entirely by trained peer counselors who are breast cancer survivors.

History

Y-ME was founded in 1978 by breast cancer patients Ann Marcou (1932–2004)[4] and Mimi Kaplan (d. 1983),[5] and began as a hotline operated out of Marcou's Chicago-area home and a support group that met at a local YWCA.[5] The organization was originally named YWCA and Me after its association with the local YWCA and the name was later shortened to Y-ME.[6] Y-ME became a national organization that helped breast cancer patients receive support, access information and make informed decisions about their healthcare. Its hotline was notable for being the only multilingual, round-the-clock support service available in the US[7] and received approximately 40 000 calls per year.[8][9]

In 1992, Margaret Harte founded Y-ME's annual Mother's Day Race Against Breast Cancer[8] which supported breast cancer survivors and raised money each year to support the organization.[9]

Y-ME changed its name to Breast Cancer Network of Strength in 2008 to "better communicate [their] mission,"[10] which was "to ensure through information, empowerment and peer support, that no one faces breast cancer alone."[10] It reverted to its former name in 2011[11] after CEO Cindy Geoghegan was hired.[12]

Y-ME closed its doors on July 12, 2012 and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on July 17, 2012.[7] One former employee said that the organization had mismanaged real estate leases[13] while a former board member said that the organization closed due to the economic downturn, low Mother's Day Race receipts, and other short-term debt.[13] Another former board member said that the organization had shut down because there had been "[a] serious cash flow problem stemming from an unexpected cash flow crisis and low revenues from our major fundraisers put the organization in financial instability."[9]

Programs

Y-ME offered a number of programs that provided support and education for both the people diagnosed with breast cancer and their loved ones. These programs included the multilingual 24-hour hotline, the organization's website, as well as newsletters, brochures, and other articles.[14] Y-ME also offered monthly support groups at affiliate locations and matched peer support for those diagnosed with breast cancer and their partners.[14] In its effort to focus on women who did not have many financial resources, the organization offered free mammograms, wigs, and prosthetics to women without financial resources them.[15]

Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization Advocacy program[16] worked to increase breast cancer research funding, support breast cancer related clinical studies and ensure quality health care for all.[17]

Events

In 1991, Margaret Harte, a two-time breast cancer survivor, launched the Y-ME Race in Chicago (formerly known as the Walk to Empower)[18] to serve as a symbol of hope, inspiration and support, and to provide an opportunity for individuals to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer. Since its inception, the Y-ME Race became a Mother’s Day tradition and the largest cause-related event in Chicago.[citation needed] Eighty percent of each dollar raised benefited programs and services offered free of charge to those seeking information and support when facing breast cancer.

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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