Taking Full Swing Against Breast Cancer: Dottie Pepper Shares Her Story

About Dottie: 17 time LPGA Champion including 2 majors, PGA Board of Directors, ESPN Golf Announcer

Author of “Bogey Tees Off” written to help youngsters and their families deal effectively with the serious problem of childhood bullying.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I am pleased to partner with Thorlos in their
efforts to raise awareness and donations for breast cancer research and education as they add
to their list of beneficiaries The C. R. Wood Cancer Center, an organization I know does great
work.

Some background first. Thorlos has raised over $500K in donations and support during the past
eight years in their efforts for breast cancer with those funds being donated to the following
worthy organizations, : https://www.thorlo.com/cause/2015-buy-pink.

• American Cancer Society
• Breastcancer.org
• National Breast Cancer Coalition
• Living Beyond Breast Cancer
• Joy To Life
• It’s a Journey

One of the most important people to my junior golf development was Cindy Ginsburg who
ultimately passed away from this disease. Aside from my mother, she took me to golf
tournaments in the area when I was too young to drive. Not only did we spend time together
at tournaments competing with and against each other, she was also a Spanish teacher and
tutored me in that subject. Even during her most difficult cancer therapy treatments, Cindy
continued to give to others by preparing puppies for therapy dog training.

Heather Farr is another individual who had an incredibly large influence in my life. A national
junior golf champion and one of the great young talents on the LPGA Tour, Heather passed
away from breast cancer in 1993 at the age of 28. Even in death she has continued to be an
inspiration to others. The research collected and much of what was learned from her case
resulted in new therapies which went on to save the lives of others, including that of her
sister.

I believe it is of the utmost importance to work toward finding a cure for breast cancer by
breaking down the barriers to allow more testing that pushes the outer limits, including
promising ideas yet to be approved by the government. There are people willing to try
experimental testing, realizing that while they may not be able to beat their own cancer, the
research data collected from them could result in helping save future lives.

Along those lines, I’d like to share with you in particular some of the great work that The C.
R. Wood Cancer Center at Glens Falls Hospital (GFH) in New York is currently pursuing. In the
early 1990’s GFH launched an extensive planning process regarding oncology services. The
goal was to build upon GFH’s existing cancer treatment services and develop a comprehensive
community cancer program. The planning process included providers, community leaders as
well as patients and families who were engaged to develop a vision for the program. The
vision supported a full continuum of services including prevention and early detection,
treatment, clinical research and survivorship and other support services. When the C. R.
Wood Cancer Center opened its doors in July 1992, it was a major step toward achieving this
vision and offering residents of our region immediate access to the latest treatments and
services.

Currently, the C.R. Wood Cancer Center offers clinical trials for early stage breast cancer
patients through the NSABP (now as part of NRG Oncology) and through the Cancer Trials
Support Unit (CTSU) of the NCI. For patients with metastatic breast cancer, the Center is
currently enrolling patients in trials available through collaboration with the pharmaceutical
companies Novartis and PUMA Biotechnology. The Breast Cancer Collaborative Registry, a
nationally based registry, enrolls patients through an association with the Buffett Cancer
Center at the University of Nebraska.

In addition to clinical trial access, a comprehensive array of programs is available to patients
and their families at the C.R. Wood Cancer Center. OESS services are supported by two fulltime RN’s, a PhD psychologist, a dietician, and a social worker. They run a broad array of
programs in support of breast cancer patients. A monthly breast cancer support group,
individual patient navigation, family support, nutrition counseling and education are
available.

Additional funding will enable the Center to maintain its high-quality, comprehensive
services, will support our ongoing research efforts, and will increase patient access to clinical
research trials available through cooperative groups, the pharmaceutical industry, and
regional centers of excellence. For more information, please visit their site at http://www.glensfallshospital.org/CRWood-Cancer-Center/CRwood.cfm

Lastly, please remember to get your mammogram. If your doctor says you’re too young for it,
ask for one anyway. Such as in Heather’s case, they thought she was too young to have
breast cancer. Heather’s cancer went unattended for a number of months and consequently
became too aggressive to treat successfully. Please also keep in mind that breast cancer is
not solely a female issue, it can also affect men. It’s not just your mom or your sister, it could
also be your dad, brother or grandfather.

Again, join me in supporting the health of your feet through Thorlos and championing their
efforts in rallying against breast cancer.

For more information on Thorlos and how you can experience better feeling feet, visit
www.thorlo.com.