Men Against Breast Cancer Announces First CDC Grant to Enlist Men in Fight Against Breast Cancer

$1.1 Million To Educate Men in Underserved Communities How to Best Support Loved Ones With Breast Cancer

Rockville, MD; September 17, 2003—Men Against Breast Cancer (MABC), a Maryland-based non-profit organization dedicated to educating men on how to best support loved ones with breast cancer, announced today it has been awarded a $1.1 million grant funded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, GA, to bring its successful Partners in Survival program to underserved African American, Latino and Native American communities.

According to Healthy People 2010—a national plan by the U.S. federal government to ensure the health of Americans is maximized—African American women are more likely to die of breast cancer than are women of any other racial or ethnic group. African American women and their Latina and Native American counterparts all are more likely to die of breast cancer on a per case basis than are Caucasian women. Minority groups are also disproportionately affected by adverse psychosocial factors during cancer, including increased depression, stress and family disruptions. Despite this information, the National Cancer Institute’s Office of Survivorship found a lack of information and targeted educational materials that support minority survivorship of cancer. Additionally the Office of Survivorship found a willingness on the part of minority populations to participate in mental health and other counseling, which could ease the stress and other negative psychosocial effects of cancer.

The CDC grant to MABC is the first to recognize the positive benefits of educating men on how to provide critical day-to-day emotional, mental and physical support and care to their wives, mothers, partners, daughters and other loved ones stricken with breast cancer. Men Against Breast Cancer has partnered with leading experts at the Johns Hopkins Breast Center in Baltimore, MD, to develop the unique Partners in Survival program, educating men how to care for and support loved ones through all stages of their illness, thereby reducing the woman’s stress and depression and improving her overall health.

“Men Against Breast Cancer has pioneered programs such as Partners in Survival which educates men to be supportive caregivers and partners,” said Kevin Brady, Deputy Director with the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, a division of the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. “This grant recognizes that these programs have had a very positive impact and that broader exposure among underserved communities will ultimately lead to improved survival rates.”

“We’ve seen clinical proof that—in addition to timely, quality medical care—having an educated and skilled male partner positively impacts the woman’s mental well being which in turn enhances survivorship,” said Jim Zabora, who has held Assistant Professorships of Oncology and Environmental Health at the Johns Hopkins University, and was the Associate Director for Community Research for the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center. “We not only endorse the strategy of empowering men to be excellent partners and caregivers, we also know that the Partners in Survival program will truly benefit those underserved communities which too often lack the necessary information and targeted educational materials and programs.”

“In addition to the medical care I received, having a husband who understands and can often times alleviate what I’m going through on mental and emotional levels has helped me survive breast cancer,” said Jeannine Salamone, a breast cancer survivor. “MABC’s Partners in Survival gave my husband John specific guidance on what, when and how he could be the best partner during this crisis. The practical skills like taking notes during medical consultations or arranging help for household chores literally helped me rest better.”

According to Marc Heyison, MABC President and Co-Founder, “As I learned first hand during my mother’s illness, men want to help but all too often don’t know how best to do so. We appreciate the CDC’s recognition and support of this important aspect of the fight against breast cancer and look forward to rolling out our programs to help underserved communities.”

Men Against Breast Cancer, a 501(c )3 non-profit organization founded in 1999 by Marc Heyison and Steve Peck, is the first national organization dedicated to educating and empowering men to be effective caregivers when breast cancer strikes their family. MABC’s programs provide men with the skills and guidance to assist them in navigating through the crisis of breast cancer.

In 1992, during his mother Gloria’s fight against breast cancer, MABC President and Co-Founder Marc Heyison recognized the lack of available information and education on how he could best support her. Today Gloria Heyison is one of many courageous breast cancer survivors, and MABC has grown into a widely-respected, dynamic organization whose programs such as Partners in Survival have helped numerous spouses, partners, family members and friends take an active role in supporting loved ones in their fight against breast cancer.

More information is available at www.menagainstbreastcancer.org, and requests for information should be directed to info@menagainstbreastcancer.org or 1-866-547-MABC (6222).