Forget the red leaves, orange pumpkins, and black Halloween decorations. As Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October is all about pink — pastel pink ribbons, hot pink lights dotting the city, fuchsia-frosted donuts, and a wide variety of pink-themed fundraising opportunities to support research, prevention, and education. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), approximately one in eight women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, as well as about one in 1,000 men. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women, but while the statistics can seem bleak, these death rates are decreasing, and the ACS estimates there are more than 3.1 million breast cancer survivors nationwide.
One of those survivors is Mary Lou Leuters. After successfully battling breast cancer twice, Leuters was determined to take action — not only by supporting patients and families dealing with a diagnosis she knew all too well, but by raising funds to advance research. With encouraging friends, neighborhood business owners, and community members in her corner, she founded the Ladies of Port Richmond. Over the past 14 years, the small-but-mighty non-profit has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and gained a loyal following. October is of course a busy month for the group, but Leuters and her Ladies maintain packed calendar all year round with regular casino trips, bingo games, flea markets, and bake sales, as well as through their annual breast cancer awareness breakfast and walk in the spring. Rather than sending the proceeds of the fundraisers to a national organization, the Ladies of Port Richmond stay true to their name and keep the money local.
The Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) at Pennsylvania Hospital (PAH) is one location that has benefitted from their generosity. When a member of the group came to the ACC for treatment last year, six other Ladies accompanied her in support and struck up a conversation with Marylou Osterman, the cancer program coordinator. Before the treatment had even finished, the Ladies had shared the group’s history with Osterman, added a bake sale at PAH to their event schedule, and committed to donating any raised funds to the ACC. Given that the ACC’s Supportive Care team is committed to providing resources to cancer patients and caregivers, as well as to expanding their reach outside of the hospital by participating in fundraising events, a partnership with the Ladies of Port Richmond was a natural fit.
“Not only are they very sweet, but they’re also incredible bakers! They’re a grassroots group, but they’re expert fundraisers and are so passionate and invested in the cause. They came back to host a second bake sale for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and it was another great success,” Osterman said.
PAH has continued to strengthen their connection with the Ladies by sponsoring and attending the group’s events throughout the year. This past spring, Ari Brooks, MD, director of the Integrated Breast Center and of Endocrine & Oncologic Surgery, spoke at the Ladies’ annual breakfast about advances in cancer care, and members of the Supportive Care team and the Penn Medicine Breast Health Initiative set up a table at the 14th Annual Ladies of Port Richmond Cancer Walk. They also teamed up for the recent Port Richmond Senior Expo by providing information to seniors and their families about breast health and mammogram access, colonoscopies, and HPV.
“The Ladies have been hugely supportive of the ACC and PAH, and I couldn’t be more grateful,” Osterman said, noting that the future of their partnership looks bright.