ST. LOUIS, MO – Feb. 22, 2010 – Two-year breast cancer survivor, mother of three teenage daughters, and jewelry design entrepreneur Diane Katzman celebrated a very special birthday on February 21 – the day she invited friends and family to give her one gift – the gift of breast health to benefit uninsured and underinsured women in Dent County, Mo.
Katzman’s invitation asked friends and family to make a very specific contribution for either a mammography screening at $134.81, or a diagnostic screening at $156.44, breast ultrasound at $85.37 or a breast biopsy is $1,300 – and then to join herself and her family for her Birch-Day benefit concert featuring her most favorite singer – rock alternative singer and songwriter Diane Birch. The concert was held at 7 p.m. on Sun., Feb. 21 at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center located on the campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
“This fundraiser was created to help more women battle breast cancer through diagnosis, regardless of their financial abilities,” explained Katzman. This fundraiser raised nearly $41,000 to provide Dent County, Mo. women with 41 mammograms, 23 diagnostic screenings, 3 ultrasounds and 5 biopsies, plus an additional $25,000 in unrestricted funds to be used for any of these services where there’s an immediate need.
Katzman continued, “I probably wouldn't have made it to my 50th birthday, if the recommendations to start breast cancer screening at age 50 were announced a few years ago. So it got me thinking – instead of inviting friends and family to my birthday party, I'd invite them to my ‘Birch Day Party’ featuring my favorite singer – Diane Birch. Birch has been compared to Norah Jones, Carly Simon and Amy Winehouse. She’s appeared on the Today Show and the David Letterman show.”
Katzman and her family underwrote the costs associated with the benefit concert and Birch donated her personal performance. Katzman worked with Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and Missouri Baptist Healthcare Foundation to identify Dent County, Mo. Now women in this rural community have the opportunity to receive breast health screenings with the most advanced technology, which helps radiologists better detect subtle, yet significant changes in breast tissue including those younger than age 50, those with dense breasts and pre-menopausal or peri-menopausal women.
Missouri Baptist’s Breast HealthCare Center digital van is now making frequent trips to Dent County to provide lifesaving services. To schedule an appointment on the mammography van, call 314-996-5170 or toll-free at 1-800-870-5731. For more information or to see the schedule, click here.
You can continue Katzman's challenge by clicking here to donate on our secure server.