After Breast Cancer, an accomplished charity focused on helping women and men celebrate life after defeating breast cancer, will be hosting a VIP cocktail event on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 from 6 PM to 8 PM at the Riviera Parque Dining, Banquet & Convention Centre (2800 Hwy #7 West, Vaughan, Ontario L4K 1W8) to provide guests with an opportunity to meet the organization’s ambassadors, and connect with its sponsors and supporters. JUNO Award winning artist Simone Denny will be performing at the event.
Attending guests will be able to learn about upcoming events such as the S|HE Thrives Graduation Ball, Pink Diamond Gala and VIP screening of Decoding Annie Parker at the Italian Film Festival.
After Breast Cancer fills a gap in charitable organizations focused on breast cancer by putting “cancer” and “celebration” in the same sentence. With the VIP cocktail event, corporate sponsors will be able to get a first-hand look at how After Breast Cancer has been able to positively impact breast cancer graduates’ lives by fulfilling their needs after they leave the hospital.
“We’re an organization that elevates the lives of people who have been neglected after leaving the hospital,” says Catherine McCormack, ABC Board of Directors and Graduate Ambassador. “We understand that after cancer, your whole life changes. We celebrate the lives of our ambassadors and other breast cancer graduates and we hope that through this event we can inspire corporate sponsors to make this cause their own.”
Thanks to event sponsors such as SKECHERS Canada, ThinkCompass, Florence Scovel and Premier Jour, the event is free for all attendees.
After Breast Cancer refers to its ambassadors as ‘Graduates’ to bring a more powerful and positive word to what is life after breast cancer. Ambassadors and board members who will be present at the cocktail event include Christine Bentley, Catherine McCormack, Annie Parker, Todd Herzog, Diane Dupuy and Event Chair Sam Ciccolini, just to name a few.
In 2015, After Breast Cancer released its 2016 S|HE Thrives calendar featuring for the first time both male and female breast cancer ambassadors. Showing that breast cancer has no boundaries, the calendar tells the inspirational and moving stories of 12 breast cancer graduates through beautiful photography taken at the scenic Toronto landmark, Casa Loma. The S|HE Thrives calendar retails for $20 and are on sale now through the After Breast Cancer website at http://afterbreastcancer.ca.
This year, S|HE Thrives has partnered with Cadillac Fairview Sherway Gardens to help promote and sell the calendar. The courageous breast cancer ambassadors, who are all graduates of the disease, took part in an extravagant one-day shoot that celebrates life after breast cancer. Amongst stunning views of the majestic castle, both male and female ambassadors were primped and polished by partners including Christopher Paunil, Christian, Fredas boutique, and Shirley Wu Beauty Concepts. Ambassadors was style by celebrity stylist Dale Hodder-Elad of Shut up and Dress Me.
After Breast Cancer is a charity dedicated to supporting women and men graduating from breast cancer with limited financial resources or no insurance.
“Breast cancer knows no age, race, life eminence, colour or sex; whether it is a young mother of two, an accomplished business woman, a nurse, an actor, a teacher or a father,” says Alicia Vianga, founder of After Breast Cancer. “Breast cancer certainly does not discriminate. S|HE Thrives 2016 will be showcasing the many faces of breast cancer.”
Without this support, many women are unable to function in day-to-day life and tend to withdraw from both society and family. After Breast Cancer hopes to help not only these women, but the often forgotten about men who are also graduates, restore their former quality of life.
“If the After Breast Cancer program didn’t exist, I would not be wearing my prosthetic breast and mastectomy bra,” says Elizabeth Johnson, After Breast Cancer ambassador. “I would still be stuffing my old bras with anything I could find and hoping that it matched close enough for others not to notice. The prosthetic breast saves me lots of time getting ready for my day, as it is the right size, is very comfortable and light weight.”
When men and women move from breast cancer patient to breast cancer graduate, their world becomes a different place. Obtaining a properly fitted breast prosthesis and mastectomy bra enables women to engage in their journey of regaining their self confidence and restoring their feeling of being whole again.
About After Breast Cancer
After Breast Cancer was set up to provide resources that contribute to a woman’s Quality of Life (QOL) after breast cancer. Ensuring that women have access to basic
needs during recovery and providing mastectomy bras, camisoles and breast prostheses to women who are financially unable to afford them.
The majority of breast cancer organizations focus on research and the cure for breast cancer. After Breast Cancer focuses on women and men who have survived, who do not have insurance, and who cannot have their basic needs met after a mastectomy or lumpectomy surgery. As the survival rates improve, additional resources that support a man or woman’s QOL after breast cancer are required to assist women and men with the various issues that arise during and after treatment.
For more information visit:
http://www.afterbreastcancer.ca/
Like After Breast Cancer on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AfterBreastCancer
Follow After Breast Cancer on Twitter:
@ABC_program_
-30-
Available for interviews:
Alicia Vianga, Founder
Catherine McCormack, Board of Director and Graduate Ambassador
Dr. Marla Ash, Board of Director
Todd Herzog, Graduate Ambassador
