Here’s part two of our interview with Susan G. Komen CEO, Dr. Judy Salerno.
Rally: What do you think about the Rally event at Ballantyne Country Club this year?
Dr. Judy Salerno: The room’s gorgeous and I’m just overwhelmed by the volunteers, and so thankful for all of that. This was all done with volunteers. It’s amazing. This level of work, and commitment and passion for our mission is really apparent in this room.
Rally: Are you looking forward to Breast Cancer Awareness Month? What are some of the things that Komen is working on to generate awareness for breast cancer to help women out there?
Dr. Judy Salerno: Well, groups like Rally, our Affiliates across the country and all of our events during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month are important for not only for celebrating the successes of the breast cancer movement but to increase the awareness of how much more we need to do, how many communities are in need and how many people are in need. Awareness is all about the people, our mission, and how our mission helps people get the services they need. I’m hoping that we have a lot of opportunity this month to focus on the stories of the people going through the breast cancer journey because they’re very compelling. They make people reconsider what many believe is, “breast cancer, problem solved.” There’s a bit of complacency at times, but there’s still so much more work to do as long as there are 230,000 people this year who will hear, for the first time, “you have breast cancer,” and 30,000 women who will die in this country of the disease.