A Fascinating Woman
- Breast cancer survivor Teresa Heinz, 82, wife of former Senator John Kerry, has spent a significant amount of time supporting scientific research, the arts, and local causes in Pittsburgh. Much of the giving has been done through a family foundation.
- Heinz is an advocate for women, and has said she told her breast cancer story publicly in order to encourage more women to get checked regularly.
- 90% of women with breast cancer now survive, in large part because of better screening with mammograms and more effective therapies.
History
Heinz is a fascinating woman, who was born in African nation of Mozambique to a father who was a doctor. She spent a good part of the last twenty-five years leading The Heinz Endowments, after her former husband’s death in a 1991 plane crash. The couple had met in Switzerland. And Heinz happens to speak five languages. In 2016, Mrs. Heinz stepped down as chair of the 1.6 billion dollar foundation, but still makes public statements on its behalf. Related: Prostate Cancer Survivor Rod Stewart, 75, Raises an Amazing $35,000 for Charity Simply by Offering to 'Chat About Football'"This is an enormously proud and fulfilling moment for me," Mrs. Heinz said at the time in a statement to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette upon relinquishing direct oversight of the foundation. "For some while, I have considered how our family's deep and extensive philanthropic legacy will continue to grow and to strengthen over time, and I am delighted that the groundwork is laid for the next generation to engage in the leadership of the foundation."
In 2020, The Heinz Endowments gave $12.1 million in grants to support equity issues (mainly financial hardship in ethnic communities) in Pittsburgh. The foundation also gave $5.75 million to Pittsburgh’s local arts and cultural programs to help combat COVID’s devastation on the community, according to a press release on their website.
An Advocate For Women
Along with her family’s generosity, Heinz has always been an advocate for women. In 2010, Heinz had told Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts (another breast cancer survivor) that women must “be informed of where to go, how to go, what are your rights, or how to access [care],” Heinz said. “You have to [pay] attention.” Heinz had decided to initially share her health news in order to bring more awareness to women and encourage them to go out and get their mammograms, especially since her cancer was initially found from a routine mammogram, which a scan of your breasts to screen for breast caner.
When to Get a Mammogram
There are sometimes contradictions on what age women should begin getting mammograms. This should be discussed with your own doctor, depending on your family’s history. Dr. Connie Lehman, Chief of the Breast Imaging Clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School, told SurvivorNet in a previous interview, “If you haven’t gone through menopause (the time where you no longer have menstrual periods) yet, I think it’s very important that you have a mammogram every year,” Dr. Lehman said. “We know that cancers grow more rapidly in our younger patients, and having that annual mammogram can be life-saving. After menopause, it may be perfectly acceptable to reduce that frequency to every two years. We all agree regular screening mammography saves lives. Every doctor that I know, every organization that I know really encourages women to have a mammogram. I want to be completely clear. If you are between 50 and 74 and you have not had a mammogram in the last two years, you are overdue. Please get a mammogram.”
When Should I Get a Mammogram?
Early-Stage Breast Cancer
Dr. Elizabeth Comen, from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center told SurvivorNet that if you've been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, there are so many treatment options for you to consider. “Doctors really are attuned to try to understand patients better, to figure out what are their individual needs, not just the biology of their cancer, not just the anatomy of their cancer, but how might our treatment options fit into their lifestyle. What are ways that we might be able to offer new or better therapies. How might I use a diagnosis of cancer to potentially jumpstart a healthier life, overall.”
Introduction to Early-Stage Breast Cancer
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