Breast Cancer Awareness WITH PASSIONEER MAGAZINE

 This powerhouse woman needs no introduction; we all know her and the remarkable strides she has made for women in the area of breast cancer. 

Ambassador Nancy Brinker, who founded Susan G. Komen Foundation (Race for a Cure) and raised billions of dollars for breast cancer research, took that research which said early intervention was the key to saving lives, and has used it with another non-profit she founded, Promise Fund. 

Promise Fund, a nonprofit, provides free and low cost mammograms and cervical cancer screenings to underserved women in Florida who otherwise could not afford to get these services. And if a woman is found to have cancer, Promise Fund helps her access treatment. 

Underserved women's rates of breast cancer deaths were not going down because they weren't able to get mammograms and cervical cancer screenings regularly because they didn't have health insurance. Brinker hopes to expand the program nationally.  

Galina Slavova is an author, filmmaker, speaker, and breast cancer advocate dedicated to helping people find hope, healing, and resilience beyond a cancer diagnosis.

Born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria, Galina's early life was shaped by discipline and determination through the sport of judo—an experience that instilled the perseverance and mental strength that would later define her life's work. Her journey took her from Europe to Puerto Rico, Miami, and ultimately Los Angeles, where she built a career in modeling, acting, and storytelling.

A breast cancer diagnosis transformed her path from personal ambition to a mission of service. Experiencing the emotional, physical, and psychological realities of cancer firsthand revealed the need for greater emotional support for patients and their families, both during and after treatment.

Inspired by her own journey, Galina founded the Blossoming Beyond Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing emotional support, peer connections, educational resources, and community for cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and their families. Through the foundation, she is committed to ensuring that no one faces cancer alone.

Galina is also the writer, producer, and director of the feature documentary STILL HERE: I Am Not My Cancer, which explores the emotional realities of breast cancer through the voices of women and men affected by the disease, alongside physicians, researchers, and advocates. 

In the late summer of 2023, just days before Julie and her husband David were to send their youngest child off to college and begin a new phase of life, Julie was diagnosed with breast cancer at a routine mammogram.

She was fortunate to receive her treatment at the hospital where David, a doctor, practices medicine and to be cheered on by her sweet, knowledgeable husband and loving family and friends. But even with the best-case scenario, cancer was difficult, and all the while she kept thinking, “How is everyone else doing this?!!” 

After learning that most of the local breast cancer support groups were gone, she decided to form one. A native Kansas Citian, Julie founded The Breast Cancer Club to offer free, anonymous, multilingual, inclusive online breast cancer support for the Greater Kansas City area.

The website launched in June 2024.

Dana Richards (aka Malibu Dana) is a philanthropist, patient advocate, butterfly, and founder of The Butterfly Strong Foundation. A TV producer for two decades (creator and executive producer of Ace of Cakes, Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen, & Bride by Design), her greatest mission came after a devastating breast cancer diagnosis at 35. The disease took her on a journey to an unspeakably dark place, but she turned that pain into purpose and fought her way back to the light. She has now been cancer free for 15 years and wakes up every morning incredibly grateful for her life.

This chapter in her life charted a path to giving back, and to a deep commitment to helping other breast cancer patients and advocating for early detection. In 2017, she launched Malibu Dana Activewear to help breast cancer patients by donating a portion of proceeds from every purchase to various charities, and to working closely with the breast cancer community as a volunteer, donor, ambassador, committee member, & advisory board member.

Dana has collaborated for the past decade with The Breast Cancer Fundraiser as a volunteer and advisory board member. To date, she has donated thousands of Butterfly Strong trucker hats to WeCare Packages that have gone directly to breast cancer patients in need, with a commitment to servicing the “whole woman” in need of useful items that are often overlooked but essential during breast cancer treatment and recovery.

In October 2024, Dana founded The Butterfly Strong Foundation with a mission to support breast cancer patients through advocacy, awareness, and action, symbolized by the butterfly representing strength, resilience, and transformation. The launch was celebrated with the Slay Butterfly Strong Wine Dinner in Manhattan Beach, again partnering with the Slay Family. The foundation focuses on empowering those affected by breast cancer through education, support, and funding for groundbreaking research. The foundation is a significant milestone in Dana’s advocacy work to raise awareness, provide resources, and foster community engagement in the fight against breast cancer.