Greetings First name / friend,

October is challenging because of Breast Cancer Awareness, when many of our advocates participate in events targeted at raising awareness surrounding breast cancer. We gladly accept the challenge and refuse to waiver from our dedication to providing you with breast implant-related education and resources!

 

The BISA team had an excellent meeting with Dr. Siham Azahaf, a Breast Implant Illness Internal Medicine PhD Candidate at Amsterdam University Medical Centers. 

BISA advocates Heidi Rolfs and Laura Willging have been working with Dr. Azahaf, and the entire team was extremely impressed with her knowledge and hearing more about her work in the Netherlands. We are all looking forward to future collaborations.

BISA advocate Sherri Gorbett represented at a breast cancer awareness walk in Oregon and met up with advocates promoting body positivity relating to women choosing to go flat after breast cancer. 

The Stand Tall AFC is a body-positive campaign to destigmatize the loss of breasts to cancer treatment and to normalize going flat, also known as Aesthetic Flat Closure (AFC) after mastectomy. The campaign unites survivors with less than two breasts (and their supporters!) who present aesthetic flat closure as a healthy, valid choice at breast cancer events.

The first “Knowledge is Beautiful” Fashion Show and Awareness Event in Bend, Oregon, was a great success!

We are so proud of BISA advocate Sherri Gorbett and her community for helping to raise awareness and empower women. Sherri will be sharing more about the event in an upcoming blog post.

BISA Advocates Heidi Rolfs and Laura Willging attended The Light Collective Town Hall on October 17, 2023. 

 

The mission of The Light Collective is to advance the collective rights, interests, and voices of patient communities in health tech. Their motto is “No aggregation without representation.”

 

The Light Collective mission and motto are important to BISA because many women, patients, and consumers often participate in social media support groups. TLC wants to remind everyone that sharing information online has side effects. We encourage everyone to visit the website to learn about their important work.

Charleston’s Lowcountry Live featured me to discuss breast implant safety and breast implant cancers and to promote the breast cancer wellness event at the Medical University of South Carolina. Watch + read about the segment with host Erin Keinzle here. 

I was also honored to be a vendor at the MUSC Breast Cancer Survivors’ Wellness Event again this year. 

BISA advocate Jennifer Cook continues to support women facing a diagnosis of BIA-ALCL, a lymphoma caused by breast implants. Jennifer is also the administrator of ALCL In Women With Breast Implants BIA-ALCL Support Group. If you have any questions or concerns regarding breast implant cancers, please join this trustworthy group for assistance.

We need new, sample, or used breast implants for an awareness project. Please email me at maria@bisanonprofit.org for more information about sending breast implants that you no longer need or are willing to part with for a good cause.

 

Thank you for reading!

 

Breast Implant Safety Alliance

Registered Charity Number: 84-2947565
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit created by women.

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