About Susan G.

Komen
In 1980, Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan, that she would do everything I her
power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became the Susan G. Komen
organization and the beginning of a global movement. What was started with $200 and a
shoebox full of potential donor names has not grown to the worlds largest and most progressive
grassroots breast cancer organization, funding more breast cancer research than any other
nonprofit while providing real-time help to those facing the disease. To date, the organization
has invested more than $2.5 billion in groundbreaking research, community health outreach,
advocacy and programs in more than 30 countries. With the help of Komen-funded research,
the breast cancer death rate in the US has fallen by 34.0 percent in 20 years, Five-year relative
survival rates for women with early stage cancers are at 98.0 percent (up from 74.0 percent).

Affiliate History
Susan G. Komen Central Georgia was established in 1999 by a dedicated group of health
care providers and volunteers who wanted to find a way to fund breast health programs from
uninsured and underserved populations in Central Georgia. The first Susan G. Komen Race for
the Cure was held in Macon, Georgia in 2000. Over the past 17 years, the Affiliate has grown
from a small, core group to a network of thousands of survivors, activists, and community
leaders. The Affiliate serves eight counties, Baldwin, Crawford, Houston, Jones, Macon-Bibb,
Monroe, Peach, and Twiggs. The Central Georgia Affiliate currently has 2 full-time staff: the
Executive Director and the Affiliate Coordinator. There are 11 members of the 2014-2015 Board
of Directors, which is a working board that ensures the efforts and initiatives of the Affiliate are
aligned with the vision of the organizations. The Affiliate also relies on the generosity of more
than 100 volunteers, Community Health Interns, Communications Interns, and Community
Profile Interns who provide thousands of hours of volunteer work every year.

Mission
Susan G. Komens promise is to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering
others, ensuring quality care for all and investing in science to find the cures.

Impact
Working to meet this promise, Komen Central Georgia distributes up to 75.0 percent of its net
income to fund local community-based breast health education, screening and treatment
programs. The remaining 25.0 percent funds national research to find the cures for breast
cancer. In the past seventeen years, Komen Central Georgia has raised more than $2.5 million
through donations and fundraising events to fund the fight against breast cancer. The Affiliate
has awarded more than $1.8 million to local organizations for screening, education, and
treatment and more than $680,000 to national Komen research.

Service Area
The Central Georgia service area is home to approximately 451,970 residents and is spread of
eight counties: Baldwin, Crawford, Houston, Jones, Macon-Bibb, Monroe, Peach, Twiggs.
Approximately 66.9 percent of the population lines in the service areas largest counties,
Houston and Macon-Bibb. The majority of the service area is rural with two distinct metropolitan
cities: Macon and Warner Robins. White individuals make up approximately 53.8 percent of the
population; 39.6 percent are Black; additionally 0.4 percent are American Indian/Alaskan
Natives, 2.0 percent are Asian/ Pacific Islanders, and 4.3 percent of the population identify
themselves as Hispanic/Latina.

One in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.
This challenge is particularly acute in the Komen Central Georgia service area. Thirty-nine
percent of the Central Georgia Population have an annual income 250 percent below the
poverty level, 9.6 percent are unemployed, 45.6 percent live in medically underserved areas
and 17.5 percent for not have health insurance. The Affiliates education level and income level
are slightly lower than the US as a whole. Each of these socioeconomic factors may contribute
to increased late-stage diagnosis and death rates.

Where the Money Goes

In 2013-2014, we funded the following organizations: Breast Care Center at Navicent Health,
Cancer Well-Fit at The Wellness Center, First Choice Primary Care, Houston Healthcare, Macon
Volunteer Clinic, and Oconee Regional Medical Center. Our partners completed 865 screening
and diagnostic mammograms; and more than 436 clinical breast exams were performed; and
thousands of women received breast health education. This resulted in at least 15 women being
diagnosed who otherwise might have not known about their illness.

Volunteer Code of Conduct

While representing Susan G. Komen Central Georgia at any Komen related event, please
behave in an appropriate manner. Please use discretion regarding the consumption of alcoholic
beverages and the use of tobacco products. Due to the nature of our mission, if you use
tobacco products, please be discreet and do so in a suitable location to ensure that you are not
visible to our guests or participants.

What is Breast Cancer?

Cells are the building blocks of every organ in the body. Every day, cells in the body divide, grow
and die in a very controlled and orderly process. But when cells grow out of control, this
uncontrolled growth of cells forms a mass or lump called a tumor. Tumors are either benign or
malignant. Benign tumors are not cancerous. When these tumors are removed, they typically do
not reappear. Removing a benign tumor is usually the only treatment required. The cells of a
benign do not spread to other parts of the body or invade neighboring tissue. Malignant tumors
are cancerous tumors. Malignant tumor cells can invade neighboring tissue in a process called
invasion or infiltration. A malignant tumor that develops in the breast is called breast cancer.
Along with the ability to invade surrounding tissue comes the ability of cells to break away from
the primary tumor in the breast and spread to other parts of the body by traveling through the
bloodstream and lymphatic system. This process is called metastasis. When malignant breast
cells appear in a new location, they begin to divide and grow out of control again as they form
another tumor. Even though the new tumor is growing in another part of the body, it is still called
breast cancer. The most common organs for breast cancer metastasis are bone, liver, lung, and
brain.

Quick Facts

Early detection and effective treatment for breast cancer have been shown to improve
survival
1 in 8 women will get breast cancer in her lifetime; 1 in 1000 men will get breast cancer
in his lifetime.
Except for skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the
US, accounting for nearly 29.0 percent of newly diagnosed cancers.

One case of breast cancer is diagnosed every 2 minutes, and one woman will die of
breast cancer every 13 minutes in the US.
Although breast cancer is more common in women over the age of 40, younger women
can also get breast cancer.
African American and Hispanic/Latina women are more likely than white women to be
diagnosed with later stage breast cancers. They also tend to have larger tumors.

Breast Self-Awareness Key Messages

1. Know your risk
Talk to your family to learn about family health history
Talk to your provider about your personal risk of breast cancer
Risk factors include: being female, getting older, inherited genetic mutations,
family history, dense breasts, high blood estrogen levels, previous breast cancer,
no children/first child after 35, high bone density, overweight, drinking alcohol,
menopausal hormone use, no physical activity, not breastfeeding
2. Get screened
Ask your doctor which screening tests are right for you if you are at higher risk
Have a mammogram every year starting at age 40 if you are at average risk
Have a clinical breast exam at least every 3 years starting at age 20, and every
year starting at age 40
3. Know what is normal for you
Learn how your breast normally look and feel. See your health care provider if
you notice any of these breast changes:
o Lump, hard knot or thickening inside the breast or underarm area
o Swelling, warmth, redness or darkening of the breast
o Change in the size or shape of the breast
o Dimpling or puckering of the skin
o Itchy, scaly sore or rash on the nipple
o Pulling in of your nipple of other parts of the breast
o Nipple discharge that starts suddenly
o New pain in one spot that doesnt go away
4. Make healthy lifestyle choices
Maintain a healthy weight
Add exercise into your routine
Limit alcohol intake
Limit postmenopausal hormone use
Breastfeed, if you can

Medical Vocabulary to Help Komen Volunteers

Adjuvant therapy cancer treatment after surgery such as chemotherapy

Alternative therapy any non-traditional treatment used instead of a standard treatment

Axillary lymph nodes glands in the underarm that filter lymph fluid
Benign non-cancerous
Biopsy removal of tissue which is then examined under a microscope for cancer cells
BRCA1 and BRCA2 human genes which, when presented in an altered form, increase the risk
of breast and/or ovarian cancer
Chemotherapy the use of drugs to treat cancer by killing cancer cells
Clinical breast exam inspection (looking) and palpation (feeling) of the breasts and underarm
areas by a health care provider to check for any changes or lumps
Clinical trial controlled research studies done with people who volunteer to test the safety and
potential benefits of new ways to detect, diagnose, treat, or prevent disease
Cyclical breast pain tenderness that varies throughout the menstrual cycle
Cyst fluid filled sacs that are almost always benign
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) a non-invasive breast cancer commonly referred to as stage
0
Estrogen a hormone produced primarily by the ovaries that aids in developing female sex
organs and in regulation monthly menstrual cycles
Fibrocystic breast changes non-cancerous breast condition that sometimes results in painful
cysts or lumpy breasts
Hormone therapy drugs that work by interfering with the effects of hormones on cancer growth
Invasive cancer the spread of cancer from the location where it started into surrounding tissue
Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) a risk factor for breast cancer
Lumpectomy (breast conserving surgery) removes only part of the breast, the breast cancer,
and some normal tissue around it
Lymphedema buildup of lymphatic fluid causing swelling due to removal of the lymph nodes

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test that creates an image of the breast often used with
mammography for screening women at a high risk of breast cancer
Malignant cancerous
Mammogram an x-ray of the breast; the best screening tool used today to find breast cancer
early
Metastasis the spread of cancer from the breast to other parts of the body
Oncologist a doctor who specializes in treating people with cancer
Postmenopausal hormones synthetic hormones used to relieve menopausal symptoms
Progesterone a hormone released by the ovaries during menstrual cycle
Progestin a synthetic progesterone-like ingredient found in postmenopausal hormone drug
Prognosis the expected or probable outcome of a disease; chance of recovery
Prosthesis (breast) an artificial breast form that can be wore under clothing after a mastectomy
Radiation therapy treatment using high energy x-rays to destroy cancer cells
Receptor a specific location in a cancer cell that hormones attach to promoting growth
Reconstructive surgery a procedure using plastic surgery to recreate a breast
Recurrence a return of cancer in the same site or another location
Risk factors factors that increase a persons chances of getting breast cancer
Stages of cancer a numbering system from 0-4 that indicates how advanced a cancer is with 0
being the least advanced
Tumor an abnormal growth or mass of tissue which may be benign or malignant