Helene Huynh

Sam Castro
Eldon Herder
Susan G. Komen Foundation
Breast cancer is the 2nd leading cause of cancer death among women.
Anywhere you go, you will probably meet someone who knows someone that has or
has had breast cancer. Before activists for breast cancer research created
organizations, it was not openly talked about because breasts were seen as a taboo
subject; even today breasts are oversexualized. Because of this problem, the Susan G.
Komen foundations mission is to end breast cancer through research, education,
treatment, and screening. Within the past few years, they have changed how breast
cancer is seen and theyve made it so that people can get treatment, talk to others
about it, or simply gain more information.
Because of the better education, awareness and treatment options for todays
breast cancer victims, breast cancer has become a more open subject to talk about.
More and more people who are diagnosed with breast cancer are surviving, thus
making the survival rate of breast cancer soar. In her book, Samantha King says,
...breast cancer has been reconfigured from a stigmatized disease and individual
tragedy best dealt with privately and in isolation, to a neglected epidemic worth of public
debate and political organizing, to an enriching and affirming experience during which
women with breast cancer are rarely patients and mostly survivors. (King, 10). In
todays society, when someone hears that someone has breast cancer, that person

usually has a huge support system consisting of friends and family. In addition to that,
modern medicine has become a great part of breast cancer treatment and currently,
scientists are still working towards a cure as there is not one currently.
The Susan G. Komen foundation was started when Nancy Brinkers sister
passed away due to breast cancer. On her death bed, Brinker swore that she would do
everything in her power to end breast cancer. Her sisters name was Susan G Komen,
and the organization was made in her memory. Since then, the foundation has grown
immensely and is known as one of the largest contributors to breast cancer research. In
an interview with one of the local Komen foundations, it was discovered that Komen is
not only in the U.S, but theyve expanded out on a global level holding events all over
the world such as, rowing a gondola to raise money in Venice. In addition to being
expanded globally, Komen has found other ways to promote awareness including
spreading awareness through church sermons in African American communities, and
having an outreach program for the latino community. There is emphasis on this
demographic as most members of these communities tend lack awareness,
accessibility or simply insurance to have simple screening procedures done. As a result
of these reasons, many people would not know that they have breast cancer until its
too late. Prevention and awareness is key when it comes to breast cancer or any type of
disease.
The Susan G Komen foundation is a non profit organization which means they
get most of their donations from companies or people partnered with them. Their most
popular way of fundraising is through events such as Race for the Cure, Row for the

Cure, and merchandise sales. The organization has said that most of their funds go
towards their mission efforts (Approx. 80% according to the Susan G Komen website).
Although many organizations are formed with good intentions, there are still
issues that lie within such charities. Many of the problems are pointed out within
Samantha Kings book: Pink Ribbons, Inc: Breast Cancer and the Politics of
Philanthropy. Most nonprofits are involved within politics such that if something is
affected within the organization or the political party, the overall reputation of the group
is affected; much like a domino effect. In 2012, the funding for planned parenthood was
cut, which caused contributors and associates with Komen to become outraged as
planned parenthood was one of the main resources people used to screen for breast
cancer and other diseases. Because of this, many partners/associates with Komen cut
their ties with Komen causing a fall in funds and popularity rating. The CEO/founder
Nancy Brinker faced so much backlash that she eventually stepped down from her
position. The effect of one action caused such a big ripple effect through the Komen
organization.
With the decision to cut planned parenthood out of their funds out in the public, it
wasnt long until the media coverage went wild. Although they attempted to keep their
media spotlight positive, Brinkers decision brought a negative light to the organization
that would be hard to erase. It wasnt long before outraged people began pointing
fingers at who was to blame; many believed that it was due to politics and pressure from
her friends within the political power. The Oregon and SW Washington headquarters of
Komen quickly put out a statement on their website opposing the decision made by
Brinker, they believe that Ultimately it will compromise our ability to provide life-saving

access to breast cancer screening and treatment for the most vulnerable women,
(Komen Oregon). Having access to screenings is an important part of the organizations
mission statement and Oregons headquarters touched greatly on the obvious problem
regarding this decision.
Komen Oregon did their best to continue to keep their part of the organization on
the positive side of media. Marta Monetti, the board president of the local headquarters
of Oregon wrote, My heart breaks though, over who will pay the greatest price for
Komen headquarters' costly mistake that has caused politics and emotions to shift our
focus away from our mission. The real loss is to the low-income and underserved
women and their families throughout Oregon and southwest Washington who do not
have the means for early detection for a disease that can have an almost 100 percent
survival rate if found early, (Monetti). She urged the public to reconsider their decision
before pulling out their donations from the organization. Public reputation is extremely
important to any kind of organization that has donors coming in from different areas.
More recently, the Oregon Komen foundation was in the news again because of
the resignation of Thomas Bruner, who was CEO of the organization in Oregon.
Although Bruner had worked endlessly to rebuild the Komen organization in Oregon
after the controversial planned parenthood decision, there had been reports that he was
mistreating other workers within the organization. Many co-workers described it as,
"bullying, dishonesty, lack of empathy, overwork, a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality and
callous disregard for staff who had reached the end of their rope due to extreme
exhaustion." With workers complaining about mistreatment, there was nothing left to do
but to force Bruner to resign. Andrew Asato took over as CEO in April of this year.

The first race in Oregon was in October of 1992 which attracted 6200 participants
and raised $3188. Over the years it has grown so much that it is now held in two cities,
Portland and Eugene. It was estimated that about 23,000 participants showed up to the
race for the cure event here in Oregon in the year of 2012. However because of the
controversy, the attendance number went down the following year and unfortunately the
exact number is unknown because Thomas Bruner decided to keep that information
from going out to the public. An interesting thing we learned during our interview with
Linda was that she was one of the original people who came together to hold a race for
the cure event in Nevada. She told us that many people actually start planning the races
in their towns for the foundation and eventually people start coming and it becomes an
annual thing for many cities. Not only does it raise money for breast cancer research,
but it also gives the community a chance to learn more about the cancer itself and ways
in which people can go get tested for it.
The amount of great things this organization has managed to accomplish should
not be overshadowed by one poor decision made by the founder. Without this
organization it could have been many more years before people would openly
acknowledge the fact that breast cancer is a serious type of cancer that could kill you if
not caught early on. Since the beginning of Komen Oregon, about $30 million dollars
has circulated towards research and care services. Internationally, Komen has
managed to double the screenings from 40% to 80% and has managed to get the
government to increase spending from $30 million to $850 million.

Helene Huynh
Sam Castro
Eldon Herder
Works Cited
"About Us." Susan G. Komen Oregon and SW Washington. Komen Oregon & SW
Washington, n.d. Web. 28 May 2015.
King, Samantha. Pink Ribbons, Inc. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota, 2006. Print.
"Komen Oregon OPPOSES Headquarters' Decision." Susan G. Komen Oregon and
SW
Washington. Komen Oregon & SW Washington, 2 Feb. 2012. Web. 28 May
2015.
Miller, Anna, and Linda Aronsohn. "Susan G Komen Interview." Personal interview. 06
May 2015.
Monetti, Marta. "Komen Made A Costly Mistake." Susan G. Komen Oregon and SW
Washington. Komen Oregon & SW Washington, 6 Feb. 2012. Web. 28 May
2015.
"Non-Profit Breast Cancer Organization | Donate, Participate, Sponsor, Research,
Community Impact | Susan G. Komen." Non-Profit Breast Cancer Organization
| Susan G. Komen. Susan G. Komen, n.d. Web. 12 May 2015.

"'The power of one': Nancy Brinker, Founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, to
address opening session." ASHA Leader 3 Aug. 2010: 24. Communications and
Mass Media Collection. Web. 12 May 2015.
Theen, Andrew. "Portland's Susan G. Komen CEO Resigned under Pressure from Staff
Complaints, Ex-spokesman Says." Oregon Live. The Oregonian, 25 Nov. 2014.
Web. 28 May 2015.