Pa. women are 'Pinkin' It Up' to fight breast cancer
WEST CHESTER, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- "In 2004, I was diagnosed with breast cancer," said Sue Weldon. "And that is where I learned so much about integrative care."
Weldon discovered non-medicinal treatments to soothe the side effects of cancer in addition to chemotherapy. Those included acupuncture, oncology massages, yoga, meditation, and more.
In order to bridge the gap between other patients and these activities, she founded the nonprofit, Unite for HER (Helping to Empower and Restore). It has grown beyond West Chester into a nationwide organization.
"Our participants receive a passport of services, all delivered via HER Care Box," said Weldon. "Carefully curated beautiful products that actually help them heal."
These care packages come at no cost to the 2,000+ recipients who are battling breast cancer. In addition to physical products, they contain a self-care passport that helps the patient explore their own preferred activities.
In order to fund these efforts, Unite for HER relies on community donations. They were most recently the beneficiary of a month-long fundraiser dubbed, "Pinkin' It Up," hosted by employees of Re/Max Main Line and its charitable foundation.
"When I was diagnosed in 2019, Unite for HER was awesome," said realtor Leslie Geraghty. "She gives you all of these things to kind of maybe try to take your mind off of it or put your mind at ease because it's a scary world."
Another breast cancer survivor, Chanel Baxter, has been a beneficiary of Unite for HER and now volunteers her time to help others.
"From education to counseling to therapies, all of that helped me manage what I needed both mentally and physically," she said, "As well as creating that support group that we all often need in addition to family and friends."
The fundraiser tallied $3,000 with the help of a pink cupcake sale, raffles, individual contributions, and sponsors such as Mortgage America, Tom Toole Sales Group, and T.A. of the Main Line.
Unite for HER is currently experiencing a wait list due to high demand, but they hope that a new influx of donations like this will help to reach more individuals in need.
To learn more about Unite for HER, visit their website.
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