Anne Gardner

Although Anne Gardner has never been diagnosed with breast cancer, she spends every Wednesday helping those who have by volunteering at Living Beyond Breast Cancer’s office.

Anne first learned about LBBC in 1993 when her daughter, then a second grader, attended school with a child whose mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. After witnessing the positive energy in the air during a local breast cancer walk, Anne knew she wanted to help women affected by breast cancer.

After her children had grown, Anne found she had more time to volunteer. She began helping out at LBBC’s office in 2008 and has become a "jack of all trades", completing projects ranging from mailings to database management to administrative duties. She has also helped to organize LBBC’s Paula A. Seidman Library and Resource Center. Her hard work has not gone unnoticed, and in March 2009, Anne was presented with the Ann Klein Volunteer Award at LBBC’s 6th Annual Volunteer Thank You Party.

In addition to LBBC, Anne has volunteered for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, local colleges and her daughters’ schools. She began volunteering after finding it difficult to meet other people through her job as a medical technologist. "Volunteering helps you meet like-minded people who do collaborative work," she says. "In a way, volunteering is a type of workforce."

If volunteering is a type of workforce, then Anne is one satisfied "employee" at LBBC. "LBBC has an innate soul of compassion and understanding. The members of the staff are talented educators who provide interactive information and work well as a team," she says.

Anne brings cheer and humor to every task she is given, and she has a few words of advice for anyone considering volunteer work. "Everything is important, even the basic tasks," she says. "You have to keep in mind that you’re doing something for the betterment of others." —Michelle Zeigler, LBBC Staff

Linda Oken

As she walks into Living Beyond Breast Cancer’s office, Linda Oken greets the staff with warmth and cheerfulness. With a smile on her face, she is ready to help out again.

Linda, who was first treated for breast cancer more than ten years ago, learned about LBBC from a friend who had worked with executive director (now CEO) Jean Sachs. When she was diagnosed, Linda researched treatment options during visits to LBBC’s Paula A. Seidman Library and Resource Center. Since then, her relationship with LBBC has blossomed.

Linda travels extensively, but she devotes time to LBBC whenever she is at home. She has worked on a resource guide for LBBC’s toll-free Survivors’ Helpline, a notebook that includes information on resources Helpline volunteers use to assist callers. She goes to health fairs and community events, updates the computer database, helps prepare for conferences, takes phone calls and assists with mailings.

"What’s fun about volunteering here is working with other people. It’s wonderful to hear their stories," says Oken.

Her story adds all the more color to a tightly knit organization. A mother of two, Oken has worked as a schoolteacher, a reproductive health educator and a computer science trainer and consultant. She retired after her diagnosis and now spends much of her time traveling, knitting for her grandchildren and volunteering. She considers herself fortunate to have been successfully treated for breast cancer after a rough period of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.

Although breast cancer is now a memory, Oken is eager to help others through the experience. Her attachment to the staff and the organization’s mission brings her back to LBBC each year.

"I found myself thinking, ‘Now what?’ after my treatment. LBBC’s wonderful because it’s future-oriented. It helps you live beyond breast cancer." —Samhita Bhargava

Phyllis H. Allen

Phyllis H. Allen’s passion for assisting women affected by breast cancer comes not only from her own experience with the disease but also from her experiences as a child.

When Phyllis was just 10 years old, her grandmother died of breast cancer. The night she passed away, she had been sent home from the hospital without knowing she was going to die. Just several decades ago, healthcare professionals did not use the "c" word because they did not want to frighten the patient.

Then in January 2002, Phyllis was diagnosed herself. For seven months she received treatment, including a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. Talking to women who had experienced breast cancer helped Phyllis through especially difficult times. And while she was in the hospital, Phyllis supported others who struggled with the diagnosis.

Phyllis is a lawyer by profession, but when she sat down with doctors to discuss her treatment, she found the medical jargon with respect to chemotherapy incomprehensible. Phyllis’s eventual understanding of the complexities around selecting treatment now enables her to provide information and empathy to women struggling with their own diagnosis.

As a volunteer on LBBC’s Survivors’ Helpline, Phyllis is committed to reaching out to African-American women affected by breast cancer. She wants to eliminate the disparity through education about the disease within the African-American community. Through churches and other community organizations she is developing a support network. As she says, "No stone can be left unturned."

Phyllis conducts cultural competency and communication training sessions for graduates in social work, nurses and other healthcare professionals. She also attends conferences for nurses and healthcare professionals as well as local health fairs as an LBBC representative. As a result of her activities on behalf of Living Beyond Breast Cancer, Phyllis was selected as an honoree at the Annual Butterfly Ball in 2007. She is, in her own words, "A true advocate for other women to get information. I want them to know that there are no stupid questions, and not to be afraid of a breast cancer diagnosis." —Alison Klos