Beyond Boobs! featured in The Virginia Gazette - August 26, 2007


Every day, cancer awareness - by Ann Efimetz



JAMES CITY—Every day of every month of the new year will serve as a reminder that breast cancer can strike any woman. It will also celebrate the survivors of the disease and offer hope for the future.

"A Calendar to Live By” is currently in production by a group of local women who want to raise awareness about the disease which continues to claim thousands of lives each year.

“Our mission is to help educate women and bring awareness to the disease so that they own their own health and know that early detection is the key to survival,” said Mary Beth Gibson, one of the organizers of the project. She is a breast cancer survivor and is featured in the calendar.

People can sign up and “Buy a Day” for someone they want to honor. Their name will be printed onto the specific day chosen by the The calendar will have that person’s name on the day that is chosen.

It costs $50 to buy a day. A portion of the proceeds from the calendar,which will sell for $15 will go to the Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.Several calendars will be given away to local women who may not be able to afford it.

Gibson and Rene Bowditch have started a local support group,“Beyond Boobs” for young women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

The calendar will celebrate those who have survived the ordeal of breast cancer while offering information about the importance of self-exam and early detection.

“The calendar seems like a good way to disseminate the information and to get the message out,” Gibson said.

The importance of regular self-exams resonates within the Beyond Boobs group.

“Most of the members in our group found the lumps themselves,”Gibson said. “In young women who wouldn’t be scheduled to get a mammogram until they were 40, the outcome wouldn’t have been as good.”

The models for the calendar are members of Beyond Boobs. They live in greater Williamsburg, Newport News, Hampton and Poquoson.

The photography was done by Monica Sigmon and will feature one of the women with a life affirming message including, laugh, play, celebrate.

The month of October will be special, done in recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The back of the calendar will have educational information and resources about breast cancer and will feature several other photographs.

“Monica took so many beautiful pictures we wanted to find a way to use more of them,”Gibson said.

The positive impact the calendar has had is already being acknowledged by women in the group.

“The effect it has had on the women who are portrayed in the calendar has been so healing,”Gibson said. “One woman said it gave her belief in life that she didn’t have. Another women said she felt beautiful again. It is neat to see, even in the small group, the impact it has had.”

The women’s goal is to gain national distribution for the calendar. They will produce another next year. They are currently trying to get the calendar placed in local stores.

“Our intent is to get it nationwide.”Gibson said. “And the goal is not to sell calendars, but to raise awareness about breast cancer.”

More–– For information about how to “Buy A Day”on the calendar,call Gibson at 800 616-7608 or visit www.beyondboobs.org. Requests for buying a day must be submitted by Monday, August 27.