$1.3 Million Donation Combats a Grim Reality: One in Three Women Diagnosed with Cancer

A mother. A sister. A daughter. For every three women, one will develop some type of cancer in their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society. To combat this sobering statistic and to continue its steadfast mission to support research of cancers affecting women, The Mary Kay Foundation^SM awarded grants to 13 respected doctors and medical scientists. Each grant provides crucial funding in the amount of $100,000 for a total of $1.3 million.

From researching new cancer treatments to findings on hereditary breast cancer, The Mary Kay Foundation has donated more than $18 million to the cause since 1996. The grants awarded this year fuel new research across the United States. At UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, doctors will research breast cancer metastasis. Researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., plan to take a closer look at the early detection of ovarian cancer. Meanwhile, at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., medical scientists will explore breast tumor treatments.

The grants are awarded annually to fund innovative research at medical schools recommended by The Mary Kay Foundation research review committee, which is composed of prominent doctors who volunteer their time to help the foundation select the best recipients across the nation. After reviewing these recommendations, the board of directors carefully selects the grant recipients.

“We are committed to eliminating cancers affecting women by supporting top medical scientists who are searching for a cure for breast, uterine, cervical and ovarian cancers,” said Jennifer Cook, executive director of the Mary Kay Museum and member of the board of directors for The Mary Kay Foundation. “Providing options to women who are suffering from cancer and saving their lives brings us one step closer to eliminating cancer. The best part of my job is learning about the women we have helped through cancer, like Independent Beauty Consultant Betty Savoretti and her daughter, Alisa, who are both cancer survivors.”

Another startling statistic from the American Cancer Society: An estimated 227,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the United States in 2012. Thanks to studies funded by the Mary Kay Foundation, researchers are one step closer to finding new drugs to treat cancer and other diseases.

“It is important in science to push the boundaries and take risks,” said Andrew Godwin, Ph.D., director of molecular oncology at the University of Kansas Medical Center and one of the 13 grant recipients. “The Mary Kay Foundation grant will allow us to explore and develop new technologies that could lead to better ways of testing, treating and ultimately curing ovarian cancer while in its early stage.”

Click here for a full list of 2012 grant recipients and visit marykayfoundation.org for additional information.

About The Mary Kay Foundation^SM

The Mary Kay Foundation^SM was created in 1996, and its mission is two-fold: to fund research of cancers affecting women and to help prevent domestic violence while raising awareness of the issue. By the end of 2012, The Mary Kay Foundation^SM will have awarded more than $31 million to shelters and programs addressing domestic violence prevention and more than $18 million to cancer researchers and related causes throughout the United States. To learn more about The Mary Kay Foundation^SM, please visit marykayfoundation.org or call 1-877-MKCARES (652-2737).