50 Care Packages In, Soon the Cure Pushes Toward 100 Before Nov. 1
EEW Magazine Online is published by Empowering Everyday Women Ministries, Inc. This story covers the ministry's own work.
Empowering Everyday Women Ministries has given 50 care packages to women facing breast cancer since Oct. 1, reaching the halfway point of its 100-package goal as its annual Soon the Cure campaign heads into its final weeks.
The campaign, now in its 15th year, runs through Nov. 1. Along with the packages, the ministry gives away faith-building resources and prays with women before screening, during treatment and through aftercare.
"Early detection is the reason my mother is still with us. We will keep saying that every October, and we will keep showing up for the women already in the fight," said Dianna Hobbs, founder of the ministry and editor-in-chief of EEW Magazine Online.
The work centers on a gap that has persisted for decades. Black women die of breast cancer at a rate 38% higher than white women, even though they are diagnosed with it slightly less often, according to the American Cancer Society. They are also less likely to be diagnosed while the cancer is still localized, the stage at which treatment works best.
The campaign began with a song.
Hobbs wrote "Soon" in 2008 and set it aside. In 2011, her mother, Annie Brinson, found a lump at home at age 60 and was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form with fewer treatment options. Brinson asked her daughter to release the song.
Buffalo gospel station WUFO 1080 AM chose "Soon" as the theme of its breast cancer awareness campaign, and Hobbs named the ministry's own campaign after it. Brinson's cancer was caught at Stage 1. She completed treatment and remains in remission.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends a mammogram every two years for women ages 40 to 74. Women with a family history or other risk factors should ask their doctors about screening earlier or more often.
Readers can support the campaign or request prayer through the Soon the Cure page. Gifts help the ministry reach 100 care packages by Nov. 1.
About Empowering Everyday Women Ministries
Empowering Everyday Women Ministries, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2007. Its work includes EEW Magazine Online, Your Daily Cup of Inspiration, the American Alliance for Black Mental Wellness, and outreach providing dignity kits, Bibles, clean water, food and emergency aid. Gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
