News

"As a breast cancer Survivor myself, I know how a little encouragement can make a big difference." For over 20 years, Elizabeth, has been paper crafting. Known as The Crafty Cricket, she takes orders for custom cards and invitations. Every few months, she brings in a collection of handmade encouragement cards to The Pink House for our use in comfort bags and other Survivor & Thriver outreach activities.As someone who was on the receiving ... [..] Read more

"As a business owner, it is important to me that we give back to the community..."Christa Csoka is the head chef and owner of The Artisan's Palate, a restaurant, cocktail and wine bar, and art gallery in NoDa. On one Saturday afternoon each month, she turns The Artisan's Palate dining room into a performance stage to host a Charity Drag Brunch. Christa then takes all ticket proceeds from the event and donates ... [..] Read more

"To hear others share their breast cancer journey and number of years as a Survivor, gave me hope. I knew I had to sign up to be a Mentor."More often than not, the Survivors & Thrivers that walk through our doors at CBF for the first time are newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Dena is an exception. Diagnosed with Stage 2 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma in September 2015, she was a recipient of a comfort ... [..] Read more

In a show of solidarity for one of their member's wives who is fighting breast cancer, the Pineville Fire Department (PFD) created T-shirts last fall to raise awareness for Breast Cancer Awareness month. PFD members Nick Campagna and Brantley Gray teamed up for the effort to benefit CBF. According to the Pineville firefighters, "It is our goal to not only serve our community during emergency incidents, but to support our community. We wanted ... [..] Read more

The UNC-Lineberger Cancer Center is conducting a study on Breast Cancer Care in North Carolina and is looking for seeking study participants who have been diagnosed with breast cancer in the last 15 years. Below is a message from Komen's Manager of Community Health: Hello! On behalf of the UNC-Lineberger Cancer Center and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, I am emailing you to invite you to partner with us for a research ... [..] Read more

Connie Lewis, affectionally known as Ms. Connie, has been an amazing volunteer since she was diagnosed five years ago and was asked by her Survivor friend, Constance Coleman, to volunteer at the Pink in the Rink hockey fundraiser at Bojangles Coliseum. "People were talking about CBF and what a great organization it was for the [breast cancer] community. They either knew someone or had received services and couldn't have spoken more positively of the ... [..] Read more

Carmen has a family history of cancer. Both her great grandmother and great aunt passed of breast cancer, and her grandmother, now at the age of 101, is a Survivor. Because of this family history, Carmen began annual mammograms at the age of 35. In April of last year, at the age of 50, Carmen had her annual mammogram and received no red flags. Fast forward only four months later and she felt a lump ... [..] Read more

We are thrilled to introduce you to our new Director of Programs and Volunteers, Carrie Williams.Though new to our staff, breast cancer is nothing new to Carrie. It has been a part of her life since she was 8-years-old when her mother was diagnosed then, she faced losing her 14 months later. To say Carrie is passionate about breast cancer is an understatement, and her personal story upon testing for the BRCA2 ... [..] Read more

Lauren Tran is the owner of Modern Nails & Jolie Boutique Salon and a newer supporter of CBF. Her involvement began when she was approached by a CBF Board Member who was soliciting sponsors for our Pink Boots on the Lawn event in the fall of 2021."I wanted to give back to CBF because I am a cancer survivor myself and know what it means to have support, especially from women."Her involvement through ... [..] Read more

Caroline's mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2020 and was referred to Carolina Breast Friends by her surgeon. Caroline watched as her mom turned to CBF during a difficult time specifically how she benefited from connecting with other Survivors. "I was inspired to find ways I could help contribute to this organization."Caroline, who is a 10th grader at Cuthbertson High School, knew she could make an impact on Survivors, but she ... [..] Read more

"Those wigs immediately made me feel beautiful." Glendolyn was diagnosed with breast cancer on May 19, 2021 a day she'll never forget because it also happens to be her daughter's birthday. "I was devastated. I could hardly drive home after finding out. I went with tears in my eyes to my daughter's house and gave her the news. She dropped to her knees...I think that hurt me more than the news ... [..] Read more

March is Women's History Month. What a fitting time to stop and remember Carolina Breast Friends' own history and the woman whose dream began everything we have become: our founder Kristy Adams-Ebel. Diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 32, Kristy quickly recognized that part of her ability to cope with the struggle depended on communing with others on the same journey. She understood the importance of being in a positive setting ... [..] Read more

Stephen and Aundrea Wilson, owners of the embroidery design company Anita Goodesign, got to know Carolina Breast Friends while supporting breast cancer Survivor Katherine Weeks Mulford when she participated in our 2019 Dancing with the Stars of Charlotte for the Pink House fundraising event. That not only kicked off the Wilson's support of our mission, but soon Stephen was learning some kicks of his own as a Star the following year, where he ended ... [..] Read more

Rosa is a clinical social worker and handles very serious situations related to children daily. However, her professional work could never have prepared her for the news of her breast cancer diagnosis. When Rosa found a lump in her left breast while nursing, she had every reason to believe it was a clogged milk duct similar to what she had experienced in her right breast several weeks before. After a series of appointments and ultimately ... [..] Read more

With a triple negative breast cancer diagnosis in 2006 and a stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis in 2019, Margaret has spent her journey seeking joy and inspiration through art. She turned to quilting, slab-built ceramics, jewelry making and anything else that caught her eye. "During treatment I visualize the next step of a current project. Having these projects gives me motivation to enjoy each day." Upon moving to Charlotte in 2019, Margaret looked for ... [..] Read more

After mentoring other Survivors and their loved ones over a period of several months, Ann knew that it was finally time to sit down and put her scribbled notes to paper.

On a number of occasions during mentoring sessions, she was asked if she had suggestions for a Survivor's friends and family. The end result of her collection of notes became an information packet covering the topics of DIEP Flap Reconstructive Surgery and advice ... [..] Read more

What started as a simple inquiry of corporate support opportunities in 2020 by Joe Whitley (JW), General Manager at Hendrick Volkswagen of Concord, turned into a month-long fundraising campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness Month that same year and continued in 2021 with:

A VW car (decaled with pink accents, a donation QR code and CBF logos) for use to deliver comfort bags to Survivors and spread awareness in the Charlotte area

A monetary contribution ... [..] Read more

Many people use the new year for resolutions about health and wellness, but sometimes striving to meet those resolutions can become a source of stress that is, itself, not good for your heath. If you dissect the term "resolution," it literally means to repeat a solution. It's no wonder so many of us end up making (and breaking) the same resolutions over and over again. But that doesn't mean you can't make ... [..] Read more