The American Breast Cancer Foundation

Katherine & Richard Burnham, Phyllis Wolf and Joe Wolf

The Wolf and Burnham families recognized the need for uninsured and underserved women and men of their community to have access to life saving breast cancer screening services. Working together to provide a fighting chance for every life threatened by breast cancer, they established the American Breast Cancer Foundation in 1997.

ABCF is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization led by a volunteer Board of Directors. The Board of Directors continues to strengthen ABCF in its mission. A mission to provide early detection education, and screening services to those in need, no matter what age, race, sex, or financial challenge. Advancing the work to advocate for and support the ever important research for a cure.  Expanding the scope of assistance provided to breast cancer patients and their families after diagnosis with vital support services.  

The American Breast Cancer Foundation promotes health education and provides life saving breast cancer screening assistance through outreach events.  One such event is the Remote Area Medical Expedition.  The Remote Area Medical (RAM) Expeditions are held in impoverished communities in rural areas of the United States. RAM volunteer doctors, nurses, pilots and support workers participate at their own expense. Medical supplies, medicines, facilities and vehicles are donated. For the past three years, ABCF has teamed with RAM to ensure the availability of life saving mammograms at these remarkable outreach expeditions. 

Through its Key to Life Breast Cancer Screening Assistance Program ABCF provides financial assistance for mammograms, diagnostic mammograms, ultrasounds, and limited assistance grants for biopsies to those in need. The Key to Life assistance providers strive to identify available programs and mammography facilities offering reduced cost screenings throughout the United States that will partner with ABCF and make it possible to answer many more calls for help.

ABCF comes to the aid of patients in crisis to assist with financial support for the continuation of necessary chemotherapy or medications when no other resources are immediately available. ABCF provides breast cancer patients with referrals for crucial information gathering, additional assistance programs, and support services available to them at a critical time when help is needed most.

Through hospitals, ABCF supplies Post Breast Surgery Care Kits to aid patients with home wound care immediately after they are released from the hospital to prevent infection, and reduce emotional and financial hardship.  The Foundation also supplies impoverished breast cancer patients and survivors with wigs, breast prosthesis, and support/therapy garments for the treatment of Lymphedema due to breast cancer treatment.  

The American Breast Cancer Foundation supports breast cancer research in the areas of Ductal Lavage working to detect breast cancer at the microscopic level even before tumors form; DNA Gene Array Mapping to further map the different sub-classifications of breast cancer to lead to more specific and improved treatments; and a Breast Cancer Vaccine to develop a treatment that will assist patients with metastatic breast cancer. 

This mission is supported in majority through the kindness of individual donors and volunteers.  ABCF partners with these kind individuals through events such as bull roasts and golf tournaments, several direct mail programs, and its fundraising/outreach staff. With the effects of 9-11 and the concerns for world peace, financial support is an ever increasing challenge for all nonprofit organizations.  As the community continues to spread the word of the good works of the American Breast Cancer Foundation, and the calls for help increase providing services to all who call for help will become more of a challenge. 

The American Breast Cancer Foundation invites you to, in any way you can, join them in their mission to answer these calls for help and give a fighting chance for every life threatened by breast cancer. Everyone can make a difference, every act, every gift, and every hand we hold together becomes more.