A Toast to Cancer Survivors

About 11 million Americans are cancer survivors today. But what exactly is a cancer survivor? Wikipedia defines one as an individual who is still living which has had any kind of cancer, past or present. Currently nearly 65% of persons diagnosed with cancer are expected to live at least five years after the cancer is discovered. Many cancer survivors have found the process to be a life-changing experience which allows one opportunities for creative self-transformation into a "better person" or as motivation to meet goals of great personal importance, such as climbing a mountain or reconciling with an estranged family member. Our founder of BoobieHead, Britt Figueroa, is a great example of someone who has used the difficulty of cancer to motivate, inform, and transform her life into a creative and charitable endeavor. I'm humbled and honored to assist her in her lofty goals. Here are some other notable people to whom we toast:

The following are notable people who are breast cancer survivors:
Brigitte Bardot, Merridith Baxter, Anastacia, Shirley Temple Black, Christina Applegate, Diahann Carrol, Sheryl Crow, Betty DeGeneres, Jill Ekenberry, Linda Ellerbee, Melissa Etheridge, Edie Falco, Betty Ford, Greta Garbo, Kate Jackson, Rue McClanahan, Kylie Minogue, Olivia Newton John, Cynthia Nixon, Carly Simon, Gloria Steinem, Suzanne Somers, Jaclyn Smith, Cokie Roberts, Minnie Pearl, Sandra Day O'Conner

Here are a couple of Pancreatic Cancer Survivors: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Steve Jobs

And, some Skin Cancer Survivors: Jenna Jameson, John McCain, Ewan McGregor, Ronald Reagan, Cybill Shepard, Elizabeth Taylor

Four Testicular Cancer Survivors: Lance Armstrong, Richard Belzer, Tom Green, Scott Hamilton

Three Colorectal Cancer Survivors: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sharon Osbourne, Ronald Reagan

One Lung Cancer Survivor: John Wayne

And we toast all of the other individuals who fought cancer and were survivors as long as they could-- all notable, and all loved... including my father, Reginald Adair Anderson, and my best friend, Bart Copeland.

What an inspiration!

Last week, I overheard a wonderful conversation. A local lady was gushing about what a hero my boss, Britt Figueroa, has become in our St Simons Island/Brunswick, Georgia community.

Most mortal humans, rightfully so, cannot handle the pressures of having cancer, telling loved ones, going through treatments, and perhaps even having one of your precious breasts chopped off your body.

Britt not only handled it for herself and her children, but she also listened to the pleas of all the other cancer patients she kept meeting. These people with cancer were talking about the ever-expanding bills for cancer treatments and that many would have to file bankruptcy in order to save their homes. Or they would choose to have the cancer removed, but have absolutely no followup care.

Britt knew that, in order to regain health, the last thing these people should be worrying about is money, yet all too frequently, this is the harsh reality. They were too young to get benefits from Medicare and had too many assets to qualify for other aid agencies.

So, in the midst of her own cancer nightmare (and while caring for her two lovely children), she conceived, created, and coalesced her new company, BoobieHeadInc. and started Your Cancer Care foundation. The sole purpose of the fund is to assist cancer patients to pay their bills and prevent bankruptcies. She works with our local hospital Southeast Georgia Health System and others to pay for Glynn County Georgia patient bills. Later, her plan is to expand way beyond Glynn County to assist other Americans.

I knew her story and admire her courage: that's why I work with her. But, somehow, listening to that woman enthusiastically fawning over Britt, what she has overcome and created to help others in a very few months, I am inspired anew.

Let's do this, people!

Funding help on the way

“Many cancer patients in Glynn County are uninsured or underinsured and do not qualify for financial help programs due to their age or assets”, explains Britt Figueroa, the founder and CEO of BoobieHead Inc. Britt is working to change that. She has the inspiration, the experience, and the plan.

You see, Britt is a recent survivor of breast cancer. She learned first hand many of cancer patient’s needs, which inspired her to create a line of ultra-soft casual apparel for sensitive skin, tender from chemotherapy treatments. This was just a start, of course, because Britt had a larger purpose in mind.

“A portion of the monies created from BoobieHead Inc. will go to Your Cancer Care Foundation , which will act as a pass through to pay those financial gaps for qualified candidates who would otherwise have to file for bankruptcy”, says Figueroa. Qualifying patients would be below Medicare age and have assets above Medicaid levels, but are still unable to pay hefty healthcare bills. “We first want to take care of the needs of cancer patients in Glynn County, and then we will grow to support people in other areas.”

Figueroa has the business acumen and experience to back it up. Remember Monkey Love, the fun dessert bar and gallery at Red Fern Village in St. Simons? That was her successful previous venture, so she knows business.

She also knows cancer and has a plan to help our family, friends, and neighbors who are in need.