North Bay Woman

F A L L 2 0 1 8 | NORTH BAY WOMAN 47 I t takes spunk and determination for any novice to step onto a catwalk for the first time, but for a group of local models, it takes special courage. They're women — and men — who have undergone treatment for breast can- cer, and they take their turn in the spotlight for a cause that's personally meaningful them — To Celebrate Life Breast Cancer Foundation's annual Gala Fund- raiser and Fashion Show. The high-profile event took place this year at the Marin Center at the end of September, with "Holly- wood, An Evening of Glitz and Glamour" as its theme. It all began in the early 1990s with a dance class that Marin Ballet offered to breast cancer survivors. The late Andrea Martin of San Rafael asked Tiburon event planner BB Bernheim to do a fashion show with members of the class as models in San Francisco, and Bernheim pro- duced the show for three years. Then it moved to Marin, and she worked with several women — the Founding Mothers — to pro- duce the first local fashion show, Stepping Out, in the garden of Vivien Bronshvag's home in Kentfield on a warm fall evening in 1996. The fledging event raised $42,000, which it gave to the American Cancer Society's Reach to Recovery Program and Marin General Hospital for seed money for the B.R.E.A.S.T. Center. Since then, it has raised more than $5 million in grants to help breast cancer patients in need throughout the Bay Area. Kristen Bennett, president of the foundation, received a diagnosis of breast cancer when she was 34. She joined a support group through the American Cancer Society and was invited to be a model in the fashion show in 1999. Her self-image was distorted, and she had doubts about herself, but, "It was like my coming out. It was a very profound experience," she says. She explains that models change, thanks to the support of 450 people cheering them for their courage and showing them that they're still beautiful. "You get to model one time. Unfortunately, we never have a shortage of models," she says. "Our vision is that no one should face breast cancer alone," she explains, and the foundation's mission is to raise money to give to people who need support. It might be assisting a woman with her rent, because she can't work and loses her income, or it could be transpor- tation vouchers so she can get to medical appointments. Sometimes it's help getting healthy meals. "When you're going through treatment, you don't feel like cooking," she points out. Complimentary therapies such as massage and acupuncture are also on the list. "It takes the stress off your shoulders when you're going through treat- ment," she says. Funding also pays for mam- mograms for women who can't afford them, and some have resulted in diagnoses. "All the work that's done is a labor of love," says Bennett. CHANGES As To Celebrate Life has grown, the perception of breast cancer in Marin County has also changed. In the mid-1990s, Marin reportedly had the highest rate of breast cancer in the world and nothing to explain why, leaving people to suspect that it might be a condition in the county itself. Dr. Bobbie Head, who specializes in treating women with breast cancer, explains that researchers count cancer statistics by county, and Marin is small and homogeneous, with a demographic that is at risk for breast cancer, because it has a large population of women who are Caucasian, delay the birth of their first child until after 30, are well educated and have a high-income level. Other counties are more diverse, and so a general comparison isn't accurate. Subsequent research showed that similar demographics all had high rates, and Marin wasn't Above: To Celebrate Life founders (back, from left) Chris Ruppee and Maria Edestein and (front row) Patty Bryson and Janice Still. – Photo courtesy of To Celebrate Life; To Celebrate Life Breast Cancer gala catwalk photos (clockwise from top left on page 46) from 2014, 2015, 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2015. – Photos courtesy of Patty Spinks, Glen Graves and Phyllis Evans Since the early 1990s, Stepping Out has raised more than $5 million in grants to help breast cancer patients in need throughout the Bay Area .

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