Women’s rugby club partners with breast cancer cure initiative

Women’s rugby club partners with breast cancer cure initiativeJanuary 30, 2007Matthew R. Snydermrsnyder@syr.edu

The Syracuse University Women’s Rugby Football Club (SUWRFC) and Susan G. Komen for the Cure Central New York Affiliate have formed a partnership to support awareness initiatives around the issue of breast cancer. The two groups will collaborate on fundraising and educational opportunities, and the SUWRFC game vs. Ithaca College in September will be the Official Susan G. Komen for the Cure Game, to be held at SU’s Hookway Field.

“It sends a powerful message to have female athletes support education and good practice in this area, and also meets the University’s mission to engage constructively with the larger community,” says Robert Wilson, the club’s faculty advisor. Neither organization is aware of any other partnerships with the foundation and women’s rugby, but both welcome the challenge of raising awareness in the rugby community and supporting breast cancer survivors.

Today, Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists. Because every woman is at risk for breast cancer — a disease that strikes at random and for which the causes and cures are still unknown — every moment counts: Without a cure, 1 in 8 women in the United States will continue to be diagnosed with breast cancer — a devastating disease causing physical, emotional, psychological and financial pain that can last a lifetime.

“We know how important early detection is. When breast cancer is found early, through annual mammograms beginning at age 40, clinical breast exam at least every three years beginning at age 20, and annually from age 40 on, and monthly breast self-exam beginning by age 20, cancer survival rates increase,” says Komen Foundation Education Coordinator Olivia Kronhaus.

As part of a total approach to breast health, it is also important that women become familiar with their own bodies, play an active role in their own health and develop a close partnership with their health care providers. Organizers believe the partnership between SUWRFC and Komen CNY Affiliate will help educate women about the importance of breast health.

For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure Central New York Affiliate, breast health or breast cancer, visit http://www.komencny.org or call (315) 472-6162.

For more information about SUWRFC or the partnership, contact Amanda Bernasconi at ambernas@syr.edu.