Helen Knoll Foundation

Description

Every 30 minutes a young woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, and that number has been growing. In 2010 alone 75,000 women perished from breast cancer in the United States, unneccesarily. Mammograms are not effective for women under 40 due to the density of their breast tissue, but there are effective and non-invasive screenings available including ultrasound, thermography, MRI, and the HALO breast pap. Detecting breast cancer at the earliest stage can up the odds of survival to 95%, which could mean saving the lives of tens of thousands of women a year. Currently more than 35% of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 34 will perish, which can largely be attributed the the fact that women under 40 do not know that they have screening options and their tumors are often well advanced and untreatable by the time they are detected. The other half of the equation for stopping breast cancer before it starts is prevention. There are a range of steps women can take to be proactive about their breast health including lifestyle factors, diet and exercise, vitamin D levels, and more.

The idea for the Helen Knoll Foundaiton was proposed by Helen herself, who passed away far too young after a battle with breast cancer. Rather than bringing flowers to her funeral Helen wanted her loved ones to contribute to a fund to provide support for families enduring the same tragedy as her own. In 2011 her family refocused the foundation on advocacy for prevention and early detection and the organization has continued to grow and evolve. Currently the Helen Knoll Foundation is in the process of expanding and professionalizing operations with the hiring of an Interim Executive Director and the creation of our volunteer program to expand capacity and accelerate our impact. During this transitional period we are recruiting volunteers and interns who share our passion for empowering young women to take control of their health.