For over a decade, Eileen Brode has given immense support to the Abramson Cancer Center. Her philanthropic footprint in the cancer fundraising community has been cemented through the Eileen Brode Annual Women’s Golf Tournament in support of breast cancer research at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center. Stemming from her own personal experiences, Eileen shares her motivation for establishing a research fund. She also indulges in the importance of helping others, as well as why fundraising is so imperative to the world we live in.
In 2003 in what felt like the basement of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, gathered a weary group of bald, tired and very sick patients waiting their turn to be radiated for their particular cancer. There was a mix of ethnicities, religions, ages, and backgrounds, but in reality we were all the same. Every one of us was scared and fighting for our lives.
I was to start my 8 weeks of radiation 5 days a week. This was the standard of care for most patients after our grueling chemo treatments.
New Friendships
During the start of my everyday visits to the “basement” I began to forge friendships with all of the radiation patients who were scheduled during my appointed time. It was like attending school. Our conversations centered around our cancers and our families. Lots of encouragement and love were found in that “basement”. We always made new comers feel welcomed. When it was the last day of radiation for one of my new found friends, there were plenty of hugs and high fives but the mystery of survival hung heavy over all of us.
One of my new found friends was an African American grandmother. One day as we sat waiting for our turn, my new friend told me how a lovely person who was treated at Penn had created a breast cancer fund for patient care. The fund made sure she had a new wig and all new bras. The drug Arimidex was also going to be provided to her for the next 5 years. In 2003, Arimidex was at least $500 monthly. There were also turkey dinners for her and her grandchildren for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I thought this was the most wonderful gift anyone could possibly receive during this dreadful time.
Another young, 15-year-old patient was traveling every day from the shore to receive her radiation treatments at Penn. Her father knew this is where she should go, but they had no health insurance or money. But, Penn made the connection for her radiation and other treatments to be covered thanks to another wonderful person’s cancer fund.
Giving Back
By the end of my radiation treatment I was beginning to realize that it was time for me to give back—not just for all the good care that I had received, but also for my inspiring life experience of meeting so many different people from all walks of life. This truly was an equalizer. In 2005, my family and I decided to start the Eileen Brode Fund for Breast Cancer Research and Patient Care.
It’s been a decade since we started the fund, but I still can’t help wondering whether there would be less violence and hate in our world today if we were all made to visit the “basement” 5 days a week for 8 weeks.
To learn more or to support breast cancer research and care, contact Kelly Baldwin Heid at (215) 746-8799 or kbheid@upenn.edu