Martinis, Makeovers, and a Mission
To benefit the twoAM Fund
Women come together to support research into sister diseases
Breast and ovarian cancers have traditionally had separate fundraising initiatives, communities of interest, and research efforts. Yet few people are aware that the two are actually sister diseases; women with one may have an increased risk of developing the other.
To help spread the word and raise funds to further innovative research into both diseases, as well as explore the link between them, a new initiative was launched at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the same fashion as it was created — with women coming together to fight cancer.
Makeup artists gave attendees a new look with Yves Saint Laurent makeup at the twoAM Fund premier event.
On April 10, "Martinis, Makeovers, and a Mission" — a night of girlfriends, glamour, and giving — took place at Neiman Marcus Copley Place in Boston to benefit the twoAM Fund, which stands for two women on a mission. The evening's many offerings included international makeup artists and fashion consultants giving tips, exclusive trunk shows, live musical entertainment, an auction with a chance to win a piece of jewelry designed by Cynthia Bach, tickets to fashion week in Milan, and other once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Special guest Charla Krupp, author of The New York Times best-seller How Not to Look Old, entertained the evening's VIP guests with her own fashion words of wisdom. The big draw for the evening was the U.S. premiere of the Yves Saint Laurent Fall 2008 Collection. But the real highlight was hearing from the event's founders.
Breast and ovarian cancers have traditionally had separate fundraising initiatives, communities of interest, and research efforts. Yet few people are aware that the two are actually sister diseases; women with one may have an increased risk of developing the other.
Two Women on a Mission founders and Dana-Farber Trustees Karen Webster and Patty Franchi Flaherty looking fabulous at the event launch.
The idea for twoAM resulted from a conversation between Dana-Farber Trustees Karen Webster, a breast cancer survivor, and Patricia Franchi Flaherty, an ovarian cancer survivor. While having coffee, the two women talked about their cancer experiences, their admiration for their doctors Eric Winer, MD, and Ursula Matulonis, MD, and their hope for what could be accomplished with a combined effort to conquer both diseases.
"Its purpose is more than a fund. It's that more work can be done and more women can benefit if these communities are unified and fundraising efforts are concentrated," explains Webster.
The more than $200,000 raised at the event will support two efforts: "Catalyst for a Cure," which provides funding for metastatic breast cancer research, and "Ovations for the Cure," which supports ovarian cancer research.
"We believe that this kind of cross-collaboration is unique and will allow Drs. Winer and Matulonis the freedom and funding to invest in new research initiatives," says Webster. "Our goal is to turn twoAM into a movement that brings all women and their girlfriends together to be part of the fight and part of the cure."
