There are a number of wonderful organizations out there that advocate for breast cancer awareness. In fact, these organizations have done so well; it’s hard to find someone these days who doesn’t know what breast cancer is. Pink has become the universal color for breast cancer. The whole month of October is now dedicated to breast cancer awareness. This is great news!
Most of these organizations focus on women while they’re battling cancer. There are very few organizations out there that help women fully heal once they survive cancer. The AiRS Foundation fills that role.
The AiRS Foundation advocates for breast cancer survivors.
Most people realize that breast cancer takes a physical toll on the body. But more often than not, the emotional toll of breast cancer goes unacknowledged. Because breast cancer targets a woman’s feminine identity, it often feels vulnerable not only as a disease, but as a direct hit on who she is as a woman. When the treatment involves a mastectomy or a double mastectomy, this emotional toll is even more exacerbated.
Many women feel disfigured after losing a mastectomy.. Some feel ashamed of how they look. Others feel ugly. Other women just don’t feel like themselves.
To make matters worse, many women do not expect the effect of losing their breasts to impact them so strongly. When a woman realizes after a mastectomy how she deeply misses her breasts, how incomplete she feels without them, she is often devastated.
Some women try to receive reconstructive surgery, but reconstruction can be expensive. Sometimes, healthcare professionals are not aware of the options available. Many women are left trying to navigate a complicated healthcare system that doesn’t work in their favor. Other women simply cannot afford the reconstructive services available to them.
That’s where we step in!
Our staff and volunteer patient advocates walk alongside women who have had mastectomies due to breast cancer until they receive reconstructive surgery and feel whole again. We are one of the few organizations out there who help women heal completely from breast cancer. While killing the cancerous cells is the most important part of any treatment plan, it’s not the only step toward healing fully. We help women get through the emotionally fraught days, months, and even years after a mastectomy until they feel like themselves again.
Help Support the AiRS Foundation!
A number of women cannot afford any kind of breast reconstruction after a mastectomy due to breast cancer. Because reconstruction is often a vital step toward healing, we at the AiRS Foundation offer grants for women to receive this surgery. But we can’t do this without support from our donors. Consider helping a woman in need today! Every dollar — even just one dollar — makes an enormous impact!
