A Student's Non-Profit Uniting Against Breast Cancer

By: Ava Tsapatsaris

Access to breast cancer screening should not be a privilege; it is a right that must be accessible to all women. I am very passionate about this and by the end of ninth grade, I eagerly applied and was selected for Advance Science Research, a three-year course in which I have been investigating disparities in breast cancer treatment faced by medically underserved women in New York. In 10th grade during quarantine, I formed Uniting Against Breast Cancer (UABC), a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, that serves as a virtual patient navigation service which organizes the various free or low-cost breast cancer screening opportunities.

 As I continue in my education, I plan to continue to research and enact solutions, like a mobile mammography program, to provide women their right to breast cancer screening.  I have handed out 1,000+ flyers across the boroughs of New York City and reached over 600+ women across New York City, Westchester County & Long Island

Every woman should be screened regardless of their health insurance, immigration, social, and economic status. The mission of Uniting Against Breast Cancer is to provide a highly accessible communal calendar in an effort to inform the medically underserved women of New York City, Long Island & Westchester County about free or low-cost breast cancer screening services near them. Yes, there is a free or low cost mammogram. You may have not heard about such a service because information advertised about free or low cost breast cancer screening is often underwhelming. The goal of Uniting Against Breast Cancer is to change that. Every woman deserves to know about every opportunity they have to get screened for breast cancer. After all, it can save their life.

The calendar and more information such as support groups can be found on www.UnitingAgainstBreastCancer.org. If you know anyone who may need this resource, please send the link. The more who know the better!