Background

The Breast Health Foundation, which is a section 21 company, was established in April 2002 in conjunction with several corporates and organisations to educate the public on breast cancer and breast health, increase awareness and empower women.

Traditionally women in Africa have been seen as the heart and soul of the family. By ensuring their health by educating them it perpetuates a mindset of health education that moves on to children as well as husbands and partners.

The aim is to put to rest myths surrounding breast cancer and to have an open forum where women feel that they can come forward with their problems.

A word from one of our Founding Board Members��

�The birth of this Section 21 Company can be described as a multiple birth. Inspiration has come from several sources, the first being a talk, given at the opening of the World Breast Conference in Rome two years ago, by Nancy Brinker. She is the founder of the Komen Foundation, the largest private charity organization in the United States, which sponsors more than half of the breast research and plays a powerful role in educating women and breast cancer screening. Nancy Brinker�s sister was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 33 and died. Nancy subsequently had breast cancer in her early thirties and overcame a recurrence in her fifties and as a result decided to create an awareness campaign. Her pioneering work has resulted in a large network that reaches not only across the USA, but into Europe and is now moving into Africa as well. 

Local inspiration was received from Barbara Lindop and the Antrobus Foundation in South Africa. This foundation started as a result of Barbara�s sister being diagnosed with breast cancer and her long hard fight with the disease. The Antrobus foundation is also involved in breast cancer research through the Department of Surgery at Wits Medical School and sponsor visits for invited experts in the field of breast cancer to teach the local medical fraternity. I was fortunate enough to be awarded a scholarship from this foundation and the inspiration that I have received from them has guided me in setting up this Section 21 Company.

Thirdly, inspiration has come from the many patients I see at my clinics at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital and the Johannesburg Hospital. Over the last three years we have set up a breast clinic at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital that now sees between 70 and 80 patients on a Wednesday. Patients who have heard of the clinic by word of mouth come from as far field as the Northern Province and even our Sub-Saharan neighbours. Of concern to me was the number of patients I saw with locally advanced breast cancer. Between sixty and eighty percent of all the patients we see in our clinics have advanced breast cancer. Fortunately breast cancer is a cancer that no matter what stage the patient presents with there is something we can do. More importantly, it is a type of cancer that if detected early can result in a cure as well as breast salvage. �