In 2012, nearly 700 women donated healthy breast tissue during the NFL Super Bowl in Indianapolis, which became the world’s largest single-day donation event of its kind. Now, as the city prepares to host the WNBA All-Star Weekend, that momentum returns with the All-Star Cure.
On July 12 and 13, one weekend before the All-Star Game, the Komen Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center will host its second-largest event ever, aiming to collect breast tissue samples from 500 women. Organizers are counting on the energy surrounding women’s basketball, and the star power of Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark, to draw broader visibility and participation.
“This is a real opportunity to encourage women under the age of 40 to participate in these studies to ensure that we’re advancing research and treatments representative of all women,” said Portia-Bailey Bernard, a WNBA host committee member.
Bailey-Bernard, who has donated to the tissue bank, said she “would do it over and over and over again.” The news of breast cancer diagnoses in her own circle, she said, felt “debilitating,” and she sees her donations as an empowering step forward.
As a former athlete, Bailey-Bernard said that she’s never seen energy around women’s sports at this level and believes the moment presents a powerful opportunity to drive positive attention to women’s health. She added that getting involved with the cause gave her a chance to create generational impact.
Bailey-Bernard and her four-year-old daughter, Maxwell, are regulars at Indiana Fever games. By bringing Maxwell to the All-Star Cure event, Bailey-Bernard hopes to show her just how powerful it can be when a community rallies together.
“Everything in the world is so polarizing right now,” she said. “With All-Star weekend, I want (Maxwell) to see what we can do as a community when we put aside those differences to showcase our team and our city.”
The All-Star Cure builds on the legacy of the 2012 Super Cure by addressing gaps in research, particularly the need for more racially diverse and younger donors. Organizers like Kathi Ridley-Merriweather are calling on Black, Latina, and Asian women to help close the gap.
“There’s been all kinds of amazing discoveries made in breast cancer,” Ridley-Merriweather said. “Unfortunately, those discoveries have been made by studying primarily White women over 50, and they do not have the same results in other populations.”
According to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Black women are 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than White women. Among younger patients, the disparity is even greater with Black women facing nearly double the mortality rate.
As the outreach lead, Ridley-Merriweather said her role is to build trust in communities of color that have long been left out or harmed by the medical system.
“I am upholding and validating feelings of fear and hesitation,” she said. “Oftentimes, these population members are afraid to ask the questions that they really want to know because they have not been taken seriously. I’m out there to take them seriously.”
Other organizers like Jill Henry said for most people, joining a clinical trial only happens after a diagnosis. This event, she said, flips that, inviting healthy women to contribute to preventative research.
Each donor undergoes a short health screening and a minor outpatient procedure to collect a small amount of breast tissue under local anesthesia. The process takes about an hour.
Scientists use these healthy tissue samples as a baseline to detect early cellular changes.
“We send these samples to researchers around the world from Australia to Norway and labs here in the U.S.,” Henry said. “I’m certainly not the one doing the research, but I support the research so that it can move forward to help my daughter and hopefully minimize the breast cancer impact to future generations.”
How to Donate
All-Star Cure takes place in four shifts over July 12 and 13. Interested participants can learn more and register at https://www.allstarcure.org/. Organizers are aiming for a diverse group of women over 18 who are in general good health and not currently pregnant or nursing.
“It’s empowering to know that a little bit of breast tissue and 60 minutes of my day went to long-term lasting impact,” Bailey-Bernard said. “To be a part of something that’s truly bigger than yourself.”
Contact IndyStar Pulliam Fellow Sam Habashy at shabashy@gannett.com or follow her on X @HabashySam.
This story has been updated to add video.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Hundreds donated breast tissue during Indy Super Bowl. Now you can help during All-Star Weekend
Reporting by Samanta Habashy, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
