RESOLUTION FOR BOARD MEETING OF OCTOBER 17, 2019
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RESOLUTION sponsored by the Board of Commissioners acknowledging Breast Cancer Awareness Month
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WHEREAS, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. During this month, survivors are celebrated, loved ones who lost the battle are remembered, and those struggling with the disease are encouraged; and
WHEREAS, Breast Cancer Awareness Month was started in 1984 and has become a worldwide annual campaign to educate people, particularly women, regarding the disease and raise funds to support research for treatment and a cure; and
WHEREAS, in the United States, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in her life. For many, the disease is genetic. For most, it has no known genetic cause. Either way, breast cancer is an unfortunate, unpredictable, life-changing diagnosis. It is estimated that each year more than 220,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer; and
WHEREAS, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis for women in the United States, and the second leading cause of death for women in the United States (second to lung cancer); and
WHEREAS, Caucasian women are more likely to develop breast cancer, while Black women are more likely to not survive a breast cancer diagnosis; and
WHEREAS, while breast cancer is most often diagnosed in women aged 50 and older, breast cancer does not discriminate. Approximately 11 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer are under the age of 45; and
WHEREAS, coping with a breast cancer diagnosis at any age is overwhelming. Youth can contribute to a prolonged recuperation period for many women. To combat this issue, many organizations have been founded to assist younger women; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Stacy Sanford is a licensed clinical health psychologist at Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is also an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, as well as the Department of Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Sanford provides psycho-oncology services to patients that have been diagnosed with breast cancer. While she assists all patients, she does have a special interest in working with adolescents and young adults; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Sanford founded the multidisciplinary Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Workgroup and currently serves as the director of the Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Program, which promotes research, advocacy, and standards of care for patients; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, do hereby acknowledge Breast Cancer Awareness Month and support the research, treatment, and development of a cure for breast cancer; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution be spread upon the permanent Record of Proceedings of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and that a copy of same, suitably engrossed, be presented to Dr. Stacy Sanford.
Dated: October 17, 2019