Friday, June 12, 2009

Malaak Compton Rock, Host, Triple Negative Breast Cancer Fundraiser with Guest Speaker Soledad O'Brien


Last night, co-founders of MyWorkButterfly attended a fundraiser hosted by supporter of MyWorkButterfly, the brilliant Malaak Compton-Rock. There were close to 500 people who gathered together in support of this important cause. Soledad O'Brien capped off the night speaking to all those who had joined together in memory of Nancy Block-Zenna. We learned that Nancy, afflicted by the disease, died just 2 1/2 years after diagnosis. Her only wish was for a foundation to raise money to aid in the research of this deadly disease. Malaak shared that "Nancy would be happy to know what this foundation has accomplished in a short time."

It was announced by Malaak that Breast Cancer Groups “Teamed Up” with $6.4 Million Grant to Advance Promising Treatments for Aggressive, Triple Negative Breast Cancer Unprecedented Partnership between the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation and Susan G. Komen for the Cure® will Fund Collaborative Team at University of Alabama at Birmingham. * Funds raised by the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation(TNBCF) will be used to jump start a promising $6.4 million dollar research project at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center. The unprecedented Susan G. Komen for the Cure Promise Grant co‐funded by the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation marks the first time that Komen for the Cure has collaborated with another non-profit organization to fund national research, and will be the largest single grant to date focused on triple negative disease – an aggressive subtype of breast cancer that doesn’t respond to targeted therapies that have been found to be effective in other forms of breast cancer. The grant to the University of Alabama will go to a team of researchers that has shown in early (pre‐clinical) studies that an antibody (drug) they have developed might be an effective targeted therapy for triple negative tumors. The five‐year Komen/TNBCF grant will fund a series of experiments that bring together a unique team of medical oncologists, basic researchers, pathologists, imaging specialists, and patient advocates, who will look at the biology behind how this antibody helps kill triple negative tumors and how it might be used for patients in the clinic.

We were excited to see many familiar faces such as Allison, Sharon, Jennifer and Andrea from TNBC, Lisa Monfried from Lemon and Dierdre from 201 Magazine. We were happy to see MyWorkButterfly's very own Laura Yurica.

MyWorkButterfly co-founders Terry Starr and Bradi Nathan were glad to be a part of this important evening.

Congrats Malaak and the entire TNBC team!

* Press Release, TNBC, 4.29.09