The Ribbons of Life Breast Cancer Foundation was born out of need. The purpose of this Foundation is to serve as a "bridge" to the Ventura County community while serving as a "clearinghouse of information" for all who are affected by breast cancer.
ROL was established January 1, 2008 as a public and charitable service that focuses entirely on breast cancer and the numerous challenges behind it.It is made up of a community of cultures, genders and ages devoted towards providing education, advocacy and social support to all affected by breast cancer.
Information provided is on a need-to-know basis to help lessen the feelings of "information overload" while focusing on a person's immediate needs without going down that fearful road of "What ifs?"
ROL addresses all sorts of issues relating to breast cancer including sexuality; the stigma of breasts in today's society; intimate communications; environmental toxins that can increase the hormone estrogen that can cause breast cancer; specific questions to ask doctors; insurance coverage; access for the uninsured for mammograms and/or treatment; financial resources and more.
ROL is not a national or global organization, but a local "grassroots" organization created and run by volunteers from a variety of professions, and socio-economic backgrounds.Anyone who feels they have something positive to provide ROL is welcome to participate.
ROL taps into a community of knowledge accessed from a group of "advisory professionals" who are interested in answering questions that relate to breast cancer and their particular specialty.If answers from a particular specialist are needed, a few calls can be made to gain further information or referrals.
GOALS
Ventura County does not have a Breast Resource Center to assist thousands of people who struggle locally with the impact and implications of a breast cancer diagnosis.Medical providers alone cannot provide consistent education and emotional support to those newly diagnosed.As a result, those living in Ventura County find the need to drive throughout or outside the county for information (up to Santa Barbara or down as far as Los Angeles) and other forms of support.This results in additional and unnecessary physical, emotional and social strains on a person who is newly diagnosed.
Based on this knowledge, ROL needs to raise funds to build and maintain a Breast Resource Center in Ventura County .
ACTIVITIES
ROL has various activities available throughout the year.Foundation participants make themselves available as "people resources" and openly share their cancer experience during one-on-one talks either in person or over the phone.The group does not engage in "round robin sessions" that can add discomfort to someone who doesn't wish to share their experiences with a group of strangers when newly diagnosed.This concept allows the individual to give and receive as much or as little as they can handle based upon where they are in their journey with breast cancer.
Most participants are also available by email.This foundation is open to all cultures and social backgrounds.You need not be a survivor to attend our events.Rather, all are welcome to ask questions, be quiet, listen or join in on whatever information is being shared.
LOGO
So what's with the logo?Why isn't it a pink ribbon?Why is it red?
When the Ribbons of Life board discussed creating a logo, the genderized and marketed "pink ribbon" became a topic for concern.Being a foundation that focuses on breast cancer education and advocacy, the board decided that Ribbons of Life should make a "meaning-filled" statement through its logo.That statement is that breast cancer goes beyond pink, and that the topic of breast cancer goes to the heart of every woman, man, and child affected by it.The ribbon that represents the private sphere of family is connected to the heart of the surrounding community, or public sphere.ROL believes it takes a lot of "heart" for one community to come together and to provide a never ending amount of voluntary support in the form of time, dollars, and most importantly--love.
THINK BEFORE YOU PINK
With numerous transnational marketing campaigns focusing on the exploitation of women with breast cancer and their families, ROL wants to raise awareness that before anyone donates funds to anything labeled with a pink ribbon, to hold back on that purchase until they know the campaign is donating "all" of its additional profits out of the goodness of their heart to help those currently being diagnosed with breast cancer.With the breast cancer cause being so decentralized, organizations waste much-needed dollars by providing the same services and information.Much money is wasted that could be used towards serving those affected by breast cancer now rather than later.While we acknowledge that research can be expensive and is necessary in the formulation of new drugs, we equally acknowledge that funds should be questioned as to what they are being used towards and whether they are being sent out of the community to a national organizations headquarters to decide where the money goes.
KEEP-THE-MONEY-LOCAL CAMPAIGN
NONE of ROL funds leave Ventura County as we wish to educate our community that not all money raised from breast cancer or cancer events held in Ventura County stays in Ventura County.
None of our funds pays for a costly executive staff to oversee volunteers.Our "Keep-the-Money-Local Campaign" encourages all individuals within our community to get involved in seeing to it that money raised for the breast cancer causes, stays in Ventura County to support those living in Ventura County.
We wish to raise awareness to individuals who participate in raising funds for the breast cancer cause without knowing where the money they are raising goes.Is the money being donated to a national organization that re-distributes the funds from headquarters outside the state allowing a paid board to decide what dollars are distributed where?Does the money stay within Ventura County to help women and their families within Ventura County?Does the money raised go towards breast cancer prevention research, drug research, or scientific studies?Does it go towards educational materials such as flyers, books, or developing and maintaining a national organizations website?Does the money go toward paying high executive staffing fees with little going towards finding ways to assist women preparing for treatment and the devastation of a breast cancer diagnosis?
If the money is donated to a national organization whose headquarters is out of state; does the money go to a particular national organization that re-distributes the money collected by sending it to their headquarters out of state for a paid board to determine where the funds should be distributed and for what?
Is it towards research?If so, is it for drug research?
How many are diagnosed in Ventura County?
Presently, approximately 500 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.This number does not include those presently living with breast cancer that were diagnosed in previous years or have a reoccurrence.This means our county has thousands of women who have endured breast cancer or are on continued treatment.In addition to these thousands are the thousands of caregivers who are affected by those undergoing treatment, recovery, and sometimes death.
HISTORY
Lisa Barreto began her search for support at Ventura College when she was diagnosed with DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) breast cancer in spring of 2002 at age 42.While provided with much love and encouragement from her husband, Bob, her family from the East Coast, and the Ventura College community, she soon realized just how much her education could help turn lemons into lemonade.
In September 2002, after having two of her eventual six surgeries, she founded Ventura College’s Breast Cancer Education & Advocacy Group, which she refers to as "a very different kind of support group."
Coping with Breast Cancer
While attending Ventura College, Lisa created a presentation entitled, "Coping with Breast Cancer."Using unusual hand-outs (her adult version of "Show and Tell") Lisa wants the learning experience to be more "real" and identifiable for her students.Lisa opens her presentation with a short DVD, "Blue Jay," starring Cindy Dickson, whose name adorns the first breast cancer library in Ventura County started by the Education & Advocacy Group (see, Library).She passes around her mammogram films, evidencing her breast cancer and delivers a speech entitled, "The History of My Breasts" to gain attention from her audience.Her focus is to teach people how to become their own health care advocate--a must when many appear lost in the mirage of managed health care systems that all too often are unskilled or are unable to spend time understanding the "social" illness of breast cancer.Displayed during Lisa's presentation, is the Ribbons of Life photo quilt showing the numerous faces of those affected by breast cancer within Ventura County.
In addition to speaking to students and organizations throughout the Ventura and Santa Barbara County communities, Lisa has also given presentations as far as Chelmsford, Massachusetts to the Kids for a Cure group at The Chelmsford Middle School.This experience acknowledges another concern--to focus on assisting the youth in better coping with female cancers.
Breast Cancer: One Word at a Time
Presently, Lisa is writing a book entitled: Breast Cancer: One Word at a Time, providing words that support effective coping techniques to help those living with breast cancer through each phase of their cancer.Lisa uses her One-Word concept, which she created when she was newly diagnosed.This book is written in sections addressing the many "phases" of breast cancer from those newly diagnosed, to others who want to choose a medical team that is right for them, to those completing treatment or not.Lisa's word arrangements focuses heavily on "living life" rather than focusing on death so that a higher quality life can result for those facing with a life-threatening illness or hardship.If you are fortunate enough to attend one of Lisa's presentations, some of the words to be included in her book are read by those in attendance to the rest of the audience.This provides a feeling that we, as a community, are all in it together.
Lisa went on to earn her Bachelor's of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies focusing on Sociology, English and Anthropology from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).Additionally, while earning both her associates and B.A. degrees, she took weekend classes through UCSB's Extension Program earning a Certificate in Negotiation and Mediation--something she knew she would need to continue her breast cancer work.Lisa sets an example of how education can be used as a coping tool while accomplishing all this through her journey with breast cancer.
Experienced networkers, Lisa and Bob can be seen greeting people throughout Ventura County and other communities, gathering and sharing resources to assist all who are affected by breast cancer.Attending the breast fests, Bob makes himself available to other men discussing how breast cancer is affecting their life through the care of their loved one.
ADDITIONAL CONCERNS:
Insurance Concerns:Concerns about medical insurance and those who don't have it, or do not have enough of it to cover treatment, tends to put off routine medical check-ups or physical exams.While some plans have serious restrictions as to selecting a doctor, having no insurance may mean a later diagnosis with more severe treatment.Insurance concerns and various forms of cancer treatments based upon its severity can lead to Financial Struggles for those who need to take time off work to have treatment, to recover, or to continue the remainder of their lives (which can be many years) in treatment.All this can happen while searching for information that is needed in a short period of time so that well-informed decisions can be made.There are mammograms, biopsies, ultrasounds, MRI's, bone and CAT scans along with numerous visits to a variety of doctors (an oncologist, radiologist, general surgeon, and perhaps a reconstructive surgeon).As well, those living with breast cancer in Ventura County, who wish to have treatment outside of Ventura County, may face insurance challenges especially if their insurance policy has a mileage limit as to the facility one can receive treatment.Today's manage care, at times, seems to work against the one with the illness who is attempting to seek help.
Waiting for test results after a mammogram--sometime for over a week--can cause one to feel anxious and irritable, especially if breast cancer runs in the family, even though everyone should be concerned as most diagnosed with breast cancer nowadays do not have it in their family history.After the wait for results is over, three potential things can happen:1) The results may be negative, that can be a good thing. 2) You may be asked to return for a second mammogram, which can mean the films did not turn out or there may be something suspicious that needs to be looked at further or watched in the future; and 3) If the results are positive for breast cancer, the first week after the diagnosis is generally a tough one.
Conflict:If you belong to a family in conflict, or experience much conflict within yourself, this conflict may intensify should you be diagnosed with breast cancer.If you belong to a culture that does not talk about such things, you may want to talk, yet feel alone when everyone around you ignores the subject.Perhaps, it is you that chooses to ignore the questions, the fears, and the uncertainty in hopes that it will all go away.Facing your fears takes courage.You and only you can be your own health advocate.Learn about your breast cancer type and staging, then, reach out for more information.ROL is here to help.
