Don’t be a Chump! Check for a Lump! works to provide free breast health education, testing and direct assistance to breast cancer survivors with wigs, support and resources in Arizona.
When life gets to be too busy, it can be easy to prioritize certain aspects of our day-to-day wellbeing, and become more forgetful of others. For women, this rings true—especially when it comes to monitoring our health.
It was a reality that Holly Rose had to come to terms with back in 2009, when at just 39, she discovered a lump through a breast self-exam that proved to be breast cancer. Despite nine months of treatment—which included two surgeries, four months of chemotherapy and two months of radiation—Rose came out stronger on the other side.
“I was very fortunate in finding my cancer in the early stages and was able to save my breasts and, more importantly, my life,” says Rose.
It’s a familiar narrative for so many women—when the desire to care and show up for others consumes so much energy, that we’re left unable to invest in properly attending to ourselves.
For Rose, she found herself incredibly lucky to have such a strong community of friends and family who extended her so much compassion during what was an otherwise difficult season. And their support was what ultimately guided her to want to offer that same level of love and guidance for others who are navigating the same struggles.
With the help of childhood friends, Kate Kunberger and Shelley Sakala, Rose started Don’t be a Chump! Check for a Lump! in 2011. The organization’s mission was simple: to motivate other women to perform breast self-exams to help detect breast cancer in the early stages.
Since its inception, the foundation has evolved to provide free breast health education, testing and direct assistance to breast cancer survivors with wigs, support and resources in Arizona.
“Shortly after our nonprofit was founded, we discovered that our foundation had great potential. We chose to implement a second program with our funds to directly assist breast cancer patients,” says Rose. “Our Wig Out program provides free wigs to women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer treatment in Arizona. As of January 2020, we have assisted over 1,400 women with a custom wig.”
For more information, visit www.checkforalump.org.