Tim Chipp was in college when his mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. That was back in 2004. Today, after radiation therapy and surgery his mother is doing well. But after she experienced a recent scare that brought back memories of her initial diagnosis, he decided to dedicate his birthday month to raising funds for BCRF.
“Without breast cancer research, there stands a chance my mother wouldn’t be alive today,” Chipp said.
He wants to help others get past their diagnosis. To that end, he is asking family, friends and his social network community to support his BCRF Birthday Drive. So far he has raised nearly $300.
“Breast cancer is so much more than just me and my own family’s struggles,” he said. “It still kills people despite all the advancements and new treatments. I want a world where it doesn’t. In my eyes, investing money in research is the only way to make this happen.”
As an education reporter in Abilene, Texas, Chipp put his research skills to work and spent three weeks exploring various organizations before choosing BCRF as his beneficiary.
“I don’t want what happened with my mother, as lucky as she was to have a less-invasive form and it caught as early as it was, to happen to someone else. This is why I chose BCRF,” he said.
BCRF’s mission resonated with Chipp whose mother Christine has witnessed the power of research firsthand. Over the past 11 years since her initial diagnosis, her mammograms hurt less, take shorter amounts of time and the results are immediate.
“My mammograms were very painful in the beginning, but now they are less painful and the techs are able to see immediate results,” Chipp’s mother Christine said. “I also had a scare a few years ago and had to have another biopsy, but that biopsy was much less painful as the one I had 11 years ago, probably because of continued research in the field.”
Despite how tough fundraising can be, Chipp says his efforts are worth it.
“I felt raising money for BCRF…was a wonderful way to honor my mother, support the other mothers and grandmothers out there, remember those who lost their battle and help ensure the ones who come in the future have a future worth living for,” he said. “And, of course, the men who are diagnosed, too. I think they definitely get lost in the shuffle.”
Help Tim reach his fundraising goal! Every dollar counts. Donate today.
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