Subscribe Today

Boynton Beach woman poses with daughter for breast cancer calendar

Boynton Beach resident Martha Clark shows the photo with her daughter Brenda Moore, a breast cancer survivor, that is featured in "A Calendar to Live By" to raise awareness of breast cancer research efforts. (Forum Publishing Group / Mike Rothman / May 7, 2008)

By Mike Rothman | Forum Publishing Group

3:09 PM EDT, May 7, 2008

Article tools

E-mail

Share
- Digg
- Del.icio.us
- Facebook
- Fark
- Google
- Newsvine
- Reddit
- Yahoo

During the holiday season of 2005, Boynton Beach resident Martha Clark went to Virginia to visit her daughter Brenda Moore.

"She had a routine check up with a doctor and they thought they found a lump in her breast," Clark said. "By January this was confirmed as breast cancer."

Clark's visits over the next few months would be a few days each month from February through May 2006, allowing her to lend an extra set of hands to her daughter while Moore underwent treatments.

By 2007, after a lumpectomy, four months of chemotherapy and 40 days of radiation, the cancer was gone, Clark said.

Martha Clark, employed by NCCI Holdings, Inc. in Boca Raton, a company that she said has a philosophy of work-life balance, offered Clark flexible time off that allowed her the time needed to help her daughter.

Clark admits she likes to stay out of the spotlight and behind the scenes.

But even so she decided to pose with Moore for a calendar that would raise breast cancer awareness on a daily basis through the support group Beyond Boobs.

Beyond Boobs is a support group based in Virginia for women who have suffered breast cancer and who are younger than 40.

"It is different when the illness attacks you at that age," Clark said. "You still have a family when you are that young and still have work. So the group helps to spread the word to young woman on how to deal with this disease."

The calendar image for this June shows Clark and Moore in a maternal embrace, eyes closed, resting on each other. They join 11 other featured women who were stricken with breast cancer at a young age and fought it successfully.

The calendar titled "A Calendar to Live By" has pictures by Monica Sigmon.

Mary Beth Gibson, founder of a Virginia-based support group that educates women about cancer, said that, unfortunately, too many young women do not know they are at risk for the disease and that her support group is working to remedy that.

The calendar features resources and information on breast cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Ten percent of calendar sales benefit the Tidewater affiliate of Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. The remainder of the proceeds helps the group educate women about breast health.

Visit www.beyondboobsinc.org to purchase a calendar for $15.

Clark said the message of the calendar is clear.

"It is really about knowing you can survive this disease and move forward with your life," she said. "It is all about living and not letting this ever stop you."

Mike Rothman can be reached at mkrothman@tribune.com.