Think Pink Rocks for Breast Cancer Causing Gene
On December 5, 2012 by Admin
Raising awareness for breast cancer
Five years ago, Stephanie Robin began a simple mission to raise awareness for the breast cancer gene (BRCA); now her Think Pink Rocks event attracts a wide variety of hard-to-reach young people and big-name entertainers.
By Kevin Woo | December 5, 2012
STEPHANIE ROBIN HAS AN UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO THE COLOR PINK. She wears it every day as a tribute to her ongoing battle with breast cancer. Robin’s (pronounced row-bin) battle against the disease began eight years ago when she discovered a lump on her left breast after being kicked by her then 2-year-old son, Coby, when the two were roughhousing on the couch.
At first, Robin’s doctors thought the lump was merely a hematoma, but she wasn’t so sure. Robin sought other medical opinions and eventually met with a breast surgeon who determined that she not only had breast cancer but was also a carrier of the BRCA (short for BReast CAncer) gene, something she’d never heard of. As Robin researched breast cancer treatment options she began to wonder how many other women were also unaware of the BRCA gene.
Determined to raise awareness, Robin founded Think Pink Rocks, which, in the beginning, were modest luncheons that brought together women who wanted more information on BRCA and breast cancer. But over the past three years, the event has morphed into an annual rock concert that takes place in at the Mizner Park Amphitheatre in Boca Raton, Florida.
Robin knew that trying to organize a huge event dedicated to raising awareness for breast cancer and the BRCA gene would require the participation of community leaders who would lend their names and efforts to the cause, as well as a marketer who was an expert at targeting the hard-to-reach 20-something crowd.
Robin called on her friend Elizabeth Weprin, who had a long-time friendship with Steven Rifkind, the founder of SRC Records, to secure the on-stage talent. Rifkind’s father battled breast cancer, so he was sympathetic to the cause, and after Weprin’s call, it didn’t take long for Think Pink Rocks to become a reality.
Robin and her event team implemented Rifkind’s promotional strategy, which was based on word-of-mouth marketing combined with what he calls “urban cool.” Rifkind defines urban cool as having knowledge of what the urban subculture wants and can related to.
He instructed the marketing team to post bills, stickers and messages in high-traffic urban areas. The marketing team also gave away tons of promotional products to create the buzz. And by focusing on the trendsetters of urban cool culture—especially those who like rap music—Think Pink Rocks was able to make inroads with the 20-something crowd that many mainstream advertisers find difficult to reach.
Rifkind’s job was to deliver the talent, so he asked his friends in the music business to lend a hand. Queen Latifah hosted the first concert, and in recent years, there have been performances by Sean Kingston, Flo Rida and Ray J, all of whom donated their time for the cause.
This past year, the event attracted more than 4,000 people, a vast majority of whom were men and women in their 20s.
For Robin, holding the concert in Boca Raton was important. Not only is it her home, but the doctors and nurses at the Boca Raton Community Hospital Center for Breast Care provided much of her treatment. But beyond that, Boca Raton has a young population when compared with other cities in South Florida. More than 80 percent of the city’s population is under 65. And 60 percent of Boca Raton’s citizens are between 18 and 65, the prime years for breast cancer.
Over the past five years Think Pink Rocks has raised more than US$500,000. The organization has made donations to several organizations including Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, JACOB International and the Boca Raton Community Hospital Center for Breast Care.
What is BRCA?
There are two BRCA gene types—BRCA1 and BRCA2. The genes are so-called tumor suppressor genes that repair damaged DNA. If a person is born with a mutation to either gene, the DNA damage that occurs throughout life can’t be repaired correctly. The accumulation of damaged DNA can lead to breast or ovarian cancer. Approximately 0.12 percent of the overall population has the BRCA1 mutation and 0.44 percent has the BRCA2 mutation. The risk increases to 2 percent in women who are of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage.
The likelihood of developing breast cancer when testing positive for the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene increases to an astronomical 50 to 87 percent over a lifetime. Of all of the breast cancer genes that exist, the risk is highest with BRCA1 and BRCA2. For those who test positive for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, the odds of developing ovarian cancer increase up to 45 percent.
Kristine Widders, doctor and the director of the breast program at Mercy Suburban Hospital in East Norriton, Penn., says that women who have tested positive for BRCA1 or BRCA2 have a choice between three courses of treatment: conduct enhanced screening by having MRI and mammogram exams every six months (doctors sometimes encourage patients who choose this option to also take tamoxifen to decrease the risk of breast cancer); undergo a bilateral prophylactic double mastectomy or prophylactic oophorectomy; or do nothing.
Widders has noticed that in recent years patients have become more aware and informed of the BRCA gene and the need for genetic testing.
“I think awareness of the BRCA genes continue to increase as information comes out in the media and the patients become more and more aware of it,” Widders said. “People can get tested and don’t necessarily have to tell family members the results, but we do encourage them to so others in the family can be tested as well. Does every woman know about the BRCA gene? No, but it’s starting to getting out into the community.”
Men are also at risk if they have a history of breast cancer in their family. Men who test positive for BRCA1 or BRCA2 have a 1-2 percent risk over a lifetime of developing breast cancer, which may seem small but is still a much higher percentage than the overall population. It’s recommended that men who carry BRCA1 or BRCA2 conduct breast self- exams, have an annual MRI and begin testing for prostate cancer at age 50. Both men and women that test positive for BRCA2 also have an elevated risk for pancreatic cancer, colon cancer and melanoma.
Odds on Favorite
In late December 2011, Kate Morrocco tested positive for the BRCA1 gene. Her mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2004 and has had 10 recurrences through the years. Morrocco wanted to know whether she carried the BRCA gene, so before Christmas last year she went for an MRI and blood tests.
The results showed that, not only was Morrocco a carrier of the BRCA gene, but she also had four spots on her breasts. The doctors told Morrocco that because she was a carrier of the BRCA gene she, in all likelihood, would have breast or ovarian cancer at some point in her life. “It was a lot to take in at 24 years old. I think I would have dealt with all of this better if I hadn’t had spots show up on the MRI,” Morrocco says.
After evaluating all of the options Morrocco opted to undergo a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction. “I went into surgery not knowing what the four spots were. I was petrified to wake up and for the doctor to tell me I had breast cancer. It wasn’t until my pathology report came back five days after surgery that we knew the lumps were not cancerous.”
Morrocco has been open about her BRCA experience and blogs regularly about her treatment at redbottoms2mymastectomy.wordpress.com.