Dear Friends,
In Dr. Love’s blog this month, titled Discovery is Not a Straight Line, she outlines how the Foundation engages in research. We always start out with a goal in mind and design our studies to prove a hypothesis or discover new information about the human breast. As you’ve likely heard Dr. Love comment many times, we don’t have an accurate understanding of the anatomy of the breast or its ductal system. Yet, it is commonly believed that breast cancer begins in the lining of the ducts or lobules.
We focus our research on understanding or solving a problem: What is the structure of the breast ductal system? Are there bacteria or viruses living in the ducts (Yes!) and what is their role there? These may seem like basic problems that we should already know the answers, but these are not the types of studies commonly conducted at major academic institutions. Well, the biome is gaining traction and we’re excited to see more people looking into this fascinating area. But many questions about the breast and how it functions remain.
This is work that we feel is critical and we believe will add to the body of knowledge about the breast. But it is often so unique that it doesn’t get funded by traditional sources.
We rely on the generosity of people like you to support the exploratory work we do. By supporting the Foundation financially or by participating as a volunteer in our studies, you have a direct impact on the work and on the knowledge we gain by doing it. And, as you’ll learn in her blog, we often learn things we didn’t expect to. This new information always helps us move in the right direction, even if it’s not how we originally intended.
In other features of this month’s newsletter, we highlight the many ways you can get involved to directly impact research. Obviously, donations to the Foundation are always appreciated. But there are other ways to become engaged, such as holding an Act With Love event or joining our monthly giving program.
But, today, I especially want to thank the more than 700 people who showed up or supported the 10th Annual Walk With Love. Last month, on Sunday, May 21st, on a morning more glorious than our normal glorious Southern California mornings, we saw the direct impact of hundreds of people. They walked, they gave, and they left their imprint on the work we do. This year’s Walk With Love, raised over $193,000. Because of the generosity of our sponsors, every dollar given or raised by the individuals or teams who supported Walk With Love will go directly to our research and programs. And, for that we are so grateful.
We will continue to explore and seek to understand what we do not yet know and we promise to share what we learn with you. You are our partner and collaborator in this work and we cannot do it without you.
With gratitude,
Heather
