Finding a cure now...so our daughters won't have to.

Update on Breast Density Screening Legislation

Posted By on August 16th, 2012 at 9:58 am | 0 comments.

Senator Bob Mensch from Montgomery County introduced legislation regarding breast density screening and insurance coverage for MRI screening.  No committee meeting has yet been scheduled to consider the bill. Can you help by contacting your state senator and asking him or her to help bring the bill up for a hearing before the end of the legislative session? Click here to find your state senator’s contact information.

The first of the two bills would require certified FDA facilities to provide patients with information related to their breast density and post a notice advising women with dense breast tissue that they may benefit from supplemental screening such as a breast MRI. The second bill would amend existing law to extend mandated insurance coverage to ultrasound and MRI screening if a mammogram shows dense breast tissue.

“Mammogram films of breasts with higher density are harder to read and interpret than those of less dense breasts,” said Senator Mensch. “Breast density is one of the strongest predictors of the failure of mammography screening to detect cancer, with a mammogram missing at least 40% of tumors in women with the densest breasts.”

Senator Mensch’s staff member Terry Gillen said, “Kudos to the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition for raising this important issue.  As a breast cancer survivor, I know that we need to provide women with more information and more options regarding dense breast tissue diagnosis.”

Posted in: Legislative, Pink Link
Tags: Awareness, breast cancer, diagnosis

Young Survivor Denied Coverage for Reconstruction

Posted By on August 16th, 2012 at 9:57 am | 0 comments.

The PBCC counts among its many legislative victories the Breast Cancer Reconstructive Surgery Coverage Act – which mandates that insurers cover the cost of reconstructive surgery for breast cancer survivors. So when the PBCC learned from WGAL that Courtney Morrison’s insurer was not going to cover a second reconstruction to correct a problem after her first, we knew we had to get to the bottom of the issue. Click here for the WGAL story.

The Breast Cancer Reconstructive Surgery Coverage Act, passed in 1997, requires insurers to cover the cost of reconstructive surgery after mastectomy and symmetry of the breasts within six years. However, Courtney’s employer is self-insured, and under the current legislation, self-insured employers are exempt from the requirement to cover the surgery. We hope that, with our help, Courtney’s situation will be resolved and she will be able to get coverage for the surgery.

Posted in: Patient Advocacy, Pink Link
Tags: breast cancer, doctors, survivor

Thank You Heather Hibshman, Welcome Jennifer Pensinger

Posted By on August 16th, 2012 at 9:56 am | 0 comments.

When the PBCC began nearly 20 years ago, we were a small organization with a large mission: finding a cure for breast cancer now…so our daughters won’t have to. At the time, we had just a few employees to help us achieve that goal. Heather Hibshman is one of those people whose hard work and dedication allowed us to grow strong in our first few years.

We were blessed to have her enthusiasm and dedication, and she rose through the ranks of the organization to eventually become our Executive Director. She earned many accolades for her tireless work. Thank you, Heather, for your 18 years of leadership and service to the PBCC and best wishes in your next endeavor! You will be truly missed.

I am pleased to announce that our Program Director, Jennifer Pensinger, has jumped in to the Executive Director role. Jennifer, who reached her 10th anniversary with the Coalition on August 5, brings great leadership, passion, and a thorough knowledge of the PBCC as an organization. We are thrilled that she accepted the position and look forward to her many contributions as Executive Director.

Posted in: Media, Pink Link
Tags: Awareness, breast cancer, News

Take a Swing Against Breast Cancer®: Home Run Derby in Review

Posted By on August 16th, 2012 at 8:59 am | 0 comments.

All across PA last month, batters swung for the fences with their friends and family cheering them on in the Take a Swing Against Breast Cancer® Home Run Derby. Now that the last bat has been swung, we can take a look back at the heavy hitters who made the 2012 derby a smashing success. Click here for a highlight video. Check out our top ten teams, our top three individuals, and some of the records that were broken this year!

Top 10 Teams

  1.  Furlong Boys Team 2—2,105 points (Reading winners!)
  2. Neuman’s Crew – 2,050 points (Washington Winners!)
  3. PeoplesBank Team 3—1,895 points (York Winners!)
  4. Cross’ Crusaders – 1,795 points
  5. TESCO Tools Team 2 — 1,760 points (Erie Winners!)
  6. Furlong Boys Team 1 – 1,745 points
  7. Community State Bank of Orbisonia – 1,580 points (Altoona Winners!)
  8. Icing on the Lake Team 2 — 1,575 points
  9. Guns of Roses Team 1 – 1,560 Points (Lancaster winners!)
  10. UTI Power-1,545 points

 

Top 3 Individual Batters

  1.  Bill Klenoshek – 675 points
  2. Blair Beer — 400 points
  3. Jeffrey Lengle – 375 points

Records Broken:

This year we had a record 40 home runs throughout the derby! 20 of those homers came from three heavy hitters – John Furlong from the Furlong Boys had a record 8 home runs in Reading, Joe Oliphant from Neuman’s Crew had 7 in Washington, and Kevin “Bubba” Becker from the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute team had 5 in Reading! These batters each broke the 2011 record for most home runs by an individual.

Posted in: Home Run Derby, Pink Link
Tags: #PBCCderby, baseball

Bats, boas and Barnstormers: Lancaster teams Take a Swing Against Breast Cancer®

Posted By on July 31st, 2012 at 1:22 pm | 0 comments.

What a perfect way to wrap up derby season 2012!  15 teams and 2 individual sluggers battled it out on the field for bragging rights and those coveted pink bats this past Saturday at the home of the Lancaster Barnstormers.  After a rain-out earlier this month, our dedicated batters and volunteers showed their support yet again with an incredible turnout.  In the end, “Guns of Roses Team 1″ from the Lancaster Police Department secured the top spot with 1,560 points.  The group enters the derby each year to support their co-worker, Judy, a breast cancer survivor of two years.  The day’s highest individual score went to Greg Gunter of Team UTI who smashed two homers over the Clipper Magazine Stadium fence and racked up 535 points!

Here is a complete look at this weekend’s standings:

Guns of Roses Team 1 – 1,560 Points (Lancaster winners!)

UTI Team 1 – 1,545 points (Greg Gunter with 2 home runs!)

Swinging for 2nd - 1,280 points

UTI Team 2 - 1,240 points

Guns of Roses Team 2 – 1,220

RKL – 1,170

Wells Fargo Team 2 – 1,150

Susquehanna Bank Team 2 – 1,025

Susquehanna Bank Team 1 – 975

Scared Hitless – 920

Wells Fargo Team 1 – 890

Dart Container Team 1 – 885

Dart Container Team 2 - 860

Team Emerald Team 2 – 830

Team Emerald Team 1 – 745

Individual Batter Scott Bell – 335

Individual Batter Judy Millan – 115

 

Congratulations to our home run hitter!

Greg Gunter - 2

Thank you to the awesome staff and crew at Clipper Magazine Stadium for making Derby #8 a success!  You can check out all of the Lancaster Derby photos by clicking here.  Don’t forget to stay up-to-date on PBCC news and events by following us on Twitter and Facebook!

Did we have fun or what?  Derby season would not have been complete without every one of our batters, volunteers and spectators!  Thank you for all of your hard work and support as we fight to find a cure to this disease.  We hope to see you again soon!

Posted in: Events, Home Run Derby, News, Volunteer
Tags: Awareness, baseball, breast cancer, Clipper Magazine Stadium, home run derby, Lancaster Barnstormers, non-profit, PA Breast Cancer Coalition, sports

Batters of all ages step up to the plate in Altoona

Posted By on July 30th, 2012 at 10:26 am | 0 comments.

The Skys the LimitOn Wednesday, July 25, batters, fans and a plethora of volunteers came out to the Peoples Natural Gas Field, home of the Altoona Curve, to participate in the second-to-last home run derby of the season. Take a Swing Against Breast Cancer® at the Altoona Curve started out with a group of “little sluggers” stepping up to the plate to take their turn at the batting cage. This group, comprised of 3 batters under the age of 15, knocked off the socks of spectators as they made some incredible hits to the outfield and truly held their ground. Look out for this group in the years to come at Altoona!

Thanks to all of our teams, and the groups of volunteers who stayed with us throughout the day to shag balls in the outfield as the sun beat down on them…that’s dedication! We had groups from AT&T, Best Buy, YTI Career Institute and the Altoona Curve Junior. We couldn’t have been there without you, thanks for your support!

Check out the list of teams below, and our solo home run hitter!

Home Run Hitters:

Thanks to everyone who came out, including the staff of the Altoona Curve for their help and enthusiasm at our event. View all of the photos from the Altoona Derby at Peoples Natural Gas Field here.

Posted in: Events, Home Run Derby, News, Volunteer
Tags: #PBCCderby, Altoona, Altoona Curve, Awareness, baseball, bat, breast cancer, event, free, home run, survivors, swing, Volunteer

Swinging for the Fences in Williamsport

Posted By on July 27th, 2012 at 3:47 pm | 0 comments.

On Tuesday, July 24th, Take a Swing Against Breast Cancer® rolled into Historic Bowman Field, home of the Williamsport Crosscutters, for the 5th annual home run derby. Batters, volunteers and fans came out on this sticky summer morning to support the PA Breast Cancer Coalition and our efforts to fight breast cancer across the state. Check out the list of teams below, and we hope to see you out at the ballpark in Williamsport next year!

 

Special thank you to all the media partners who came out to the event, including WNEP Channel 16, WBRE-TV and the Williamsport Sun-Gazette. Check out the video clip from WBRE here. Additionally thanks to the staff at the Crosscutters and our great volunteers who stayed throughout the entire day!  View all of our photos from the Williamsport Derby here. Next up: Lancaster on Saturday, July 28! Follow us @PBCC for live tweets during game days!

Posted in: Events, Home Run Derby, Media, News, Programs
Tags: #PBCCderby, Awareness, baseball, batter, breast cancer, Crosscutters, free, fundraiser, home run, swings, teams, Williamsport, women

Competition Heats Up in Washington

Posted By on July 26th, 2012 at 5:10 pm | 0 comments.

The sun was out as our teams, individual batters and an abundance of volunteers gathered on July 20th at the Washington Wild Things at Consol Energy Park. The 5th derby of the season kicked off with local Representatives Brandon Neuman and Robert Matzie going head to head to see which team would claim official bragging rights over the other. They decided that the losing team would have to wear the pink boa on the House floor in order to bring awareness to the Take a Swing Against Breast Cancer® competition.  With the help of 8 home runs (7 coming from one batter alone!), Neuman’s Crew won for the second consecutive year, and Rob Matzie will soon be seen publicly in the pink boa, all in the name of breast cancer awareness!

Thanks to all of our teams and spectacular volunteers at the Washington Wild Things. Check out the lineup of teams and individual batters below:

And our home run hitters included:

Congratulations to batter Bill Klenoshek, who is currently our overall individual batter winner with 675 points and of course our 7-home-run-batter Joe Oliphant!  Thank you to everyone who came out to the Washington Derby, and special thanks to the staff at Consol Energy Park for your support and entertainment throughout the day! Our volunteers truly appreciated the dance music in between batters! Everyone that was there made this a very energetic, silly and successful event for the PBCC. View all the photos from our day at the ballpark here.

Posted in: Events, Home Run Derby, Media, Volunteer
Tags: #PBCCderby, Awareness, baseball, batter, breast cancer, event, free, fundraiser, home run, survivor, swing, Volunteer, Washington, women

Rain Doesn’t Dampen Batters’ Appetite for Home Runs at the Erie SeaWolves

Posted By on July 24th, 2012 at 10:08 pm | 0 comments.

Erie BattersOn Thursday, July 19, the PA Breast Cancer Coalition’s 5th Annual Take a Swing Against Breast Cancer® traveled all the way to Jerry Uht Park in Erie, Pa with 13 teams, 3 individual batters and a handful of energetic volunteers. The day began bright and dry, but gave way to a little rain in the afternoon. That didn’t stop 5 determined batters from rolling up their sleeves and hitting it out of the park for breast cancer! Thanks to everyone who came out to cheer on the teams and to our great volunteers who even stood out in the rain to shag balls and clean up the field with us! Your support truly made for a successful home run derby! Congratulations to all of the teams and batters, check out their scores below:

Congratulations as well to all of our home run hitters:

Erie SeaWolvesView all of the day’s photos at the Erie SeaWolves here. It was a fantastic day despite the weather as we raised awareness and funds for breast cancer survivors throughout the state. Special thanks to the great staff and management at the Erie SeaWolves, the PBCC staff loves their pink SeaWolves hats! Check out coverage of the event on GoErie.com and stay tuned for our next blog update! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (@PBCC) for live updates from each derby. Until next time!

 

Posted in: Events, Home Run Derby, Media, Volunteer
Tags: #PBCCderby, Awareness, baseball, batter, breast cancer, Erie, Erie SeaWolves, event, survivor, swing, teams, Volunteer, women

A Message from Heather

Posted By on July 23rd, 2012 at 2:21 pm | 0 comments.

Hello friends.  It is with very mixed emotions that I write this today.  After 18 memorable years with this remarkable organization, my time here is coming to an end.  I have learned so much first as an intern…then as a fledgling part-time employee…then as Program Director…and finally as Executive Director.  I am confident that nowhere else could I have gotten such a wide range of experience, or encountered so many amazing people.

People like the ABCs support group…the Play it Again for Charity hockey fans…the Garden Spot Motorcycle Club members…Refunds for Research grant recipients…and the folks at Bill Martel Racing to name a few.

People like the incomparable staff:  Dolores, Tricia, Jen, Kim, Carol, Kristen, Natalie, Kevin, Sarah, Jessie, and the many interns who have worked with us over the years.  You make it a joy to come to work every day.  And I’ve never laughed as hard as I have with all of you.

And people like Pat Halpin-Murphy.  A more effective leader one will never find. She is a trailblazer, an innovator, and is never at a loss for how to better this organization.  She taught me to never take “no” for an answer.  She taught me the power of being positive.  And she taught me that a hug can absolutely be transmitted through the phone lines.

It has been an honor working for all of you, and I know that one day the cure to this disease will be found.  And I know that the PBCC will be at the forefront.  It’s where we belong.

 

With fond memories,

Heather Hibshman

 

 

Posted in: News