B

Mission
eyond Boobs! is dedicated to healing and saving lives by supporting

young women diagnosed with breast cancer while providing breast health
education for all.

Values
he Beyond Boobs! family values love above all and develops and

nurtures positive relationships through trust, respect, and gratitude. We put

people first to create an inclusive, accepting, and comforting environment. We
bring healing humor (with our sassy, quirky style) and hope to the serious

and overwhelming topic of breast cancer. We encourage everyone to overcome

personal adversity through healing of mind and spirit and to approach life
with an attitude of abundance. We meet the unique needs and challenges of
the women we serve, and inspire all to live life with an exclamation point (!)
instead of a period (.) We aim for a balanced lifestyle and to make healthy
choices for self and planet. We practice forgiveness and honesty, and
treasure every moment.

Story of Beyond Boobs!

W

elcome to Beyond Boobs! In the autumn of 2006 we were just a small group of

young women with breast cancer who came together in Williamsburg, Virginia, to be there
for one another. When we discovered that a number of us had delayed diagnoses based
solely on being too young or other myths about breast cancer, we realized we had to share

with all women (and men!) The Things We Wished We Had Known about breast health
and to motivate them to take charge of theirs.
We KNEW we needed to pack some punch into the pink ribbon campaign to take women
beyond awareness of breast cancer to the action required to ensure early detection.
Equipped with humor, our mutual experiences, and our breast health guide disguised as a
calendar, we set out to make a difference and save some lives.
While other organizations are funding research toward a cure for breast cancer, Beyond
Boobs! is helping women facing this disease now. The majority of the women served by
Beyond Boobs! have no family history and are stunned to hear the devastating diagnosis.
Having the support of peers who have traveled the same path enables these women to
move towards recovery with a team of sisters by their side.
Communities benefit when women emerge from a life-threatening diagnosis transformed
and strengthened. That is what Beyond Boobs! does and plans to continue doing one
community at a time.
May your life overflow with Hope, Inspiration, and Power!
With love from the original H.I.P. Chicks,

Mary Beth & Ren

Philosophy
A

A Non-Profit
Womens Health
Initiative

growing 501(c)(3) non-profit, Beyond Boobs! is a unique

womens health initiative promoting two missions breast

health education to motivate all and support for young women
diagnosed with breast cancer before menopause. Our goal is
that one day all women, young and old alike, will practice life
saving steps for early detection and young survivors
everywhere will experience the incredible benefits of sharing

the journey with each other.

U
Community
Based Support
Systems

sing a variety of unconventional methods, Beyond

Boobs! advocates healthy lifestyle choices to foster general

well-being and manage ones risk of breast cancer or recurrence
of the disease. Through our community-based support
systems, trained survivors create a welcoming environment for

young survivors to receive peer emotional support,

information, and help when needed from other members.

nd that name Beyond Boobs!? Deliberately sassy, it

attracts attention to our breast health action message designed

What About
That Name?

to move women beyond mere aw areness of breast cancer to

taking actio n to manage risk and ensure early detection; it helps
propel women beyond the immobilizing fear of the disease

using healing humor to lighten a very heavy subject; and it

proclaims that women can move beyond a diagnosis to live life
with an exclamation point!

oday Beyond Boobs! is actively spreading the message of

breast health and wellness and extending its special brand of

support throughout Virginia and beyond.