INDIANAPOLIS — As the City of Indianapolis prepares for WNBA All-Star Weekend set for July 18th and 19th, an important health initiative is also taking center stage.
This weekend is WNBA All-Star Cure. The event is a collaboration between the WNBA All-Star Host Committee and the IU Komen Tissue Bank.
“The Komen Tissue Bank is the only bio bank in the world that collects healthy breast tissue for breast cancer research. We'll be collecting healthy breast tissue from 500 women over the course of the two days on Saturday and Sunday at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center” Dr. Kathi Ridley-Merriweather said.
WNBA All-Star Cure will take place at the cancer center located at 1030 W. Michigan St. in Indianapolis on July 12th and 13th.
During this two-day event, up to 500 women will have the opportunity to donate healthy breast tissue, supported by the efforts of approximately 800 volunteers. These volunteers will play key roles, ranging from donor escorts to medical assistants assisting with the tissue acquisition procedure.
The donation process itself will take approximately 60 to 90 minutes, but each woman’s contribution could have far-reaching implications, helping cancer researchers make lasting discoveries.
“So we did a similar initiative when the Super Bowl came here in 2012, and so as we announced that WNBA All-Star was coming here, this is such a female-oriented event. Who better to partner with to be able to have an impact in eradicating breast cancer?” Diana Boyce with the WNBA All-Star Host Committee said.
The goal of the initiative is not only to gather healthy breast tissue but also to focus on underrepresented demographics in breast cancer research.
“So, especially for women of color and for women under the age of 40, researchers do not know nearly enough about the beginning of breast cancer in those age groups and population groups. Everyone who is eligible is very welcome to donate their healthy breast tissue this coming weekend. It is my job to ask these particular populations to please consider coming.” Dr. Ridley-Merriweather added.
Click here to learn more and register for the event.
