California's Wall of Hope
Debuts in Long Island, New York

"First Breast Cancer Survivors to
Add their Pictures to the the National Exhibit"

By Marilyn Axelrod Burch

Davis, CA - California's Wall of Hope Breast Cancer Survivor Project is on a quest, enrolling each of the other 49 states to produce a 100-foot section of the exhibit known as the Wall of Hope. The finale, much like the AIDS Quilt, will be to bring the 100-foot sections together for a mile long showing, known as the Mile of Survival, in Washington, D.C. The "pilot" Community Photo Gathering Event for New York was held at South Nassau Communities Hospital, One Healthy Way, in Oceanside, Long Island on Thursday, April 25 and Friday, April 26, 2002.

(L to R) Mrs. Libby Pataki (wife of Governor George Pataki), Geri Barish (President of 1 in 9), and Marilyn Axelrod Burch, (President of Wall of Hope)

Libby Pataki was feted at the hospital on Thursday, April 25, and the hosting New York breast cancer organization is 1 in 9 Long Island Breast Cancer Coalition, founded in 1990, and led by President, Geri Barish. Mrs. Pataki, whose mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996, and who lost two aunts to the disease, considers her work on behalf of those diagnosed with breast cancer as a personal crusade.

"The Wall of Hope sends a message to every woman that a diagnosis is not a death sentence. I'm thrilled to have the Project here in New York State where, my husband, Governor George Pataki, is fighting cancer at every level. He has increased funding to Healthy Women Partnerships that treat under-insured women, ended the practice of drive-through mastectomies and established a pesticide registry to track correlations between chemical use and cancer," says Libby Pataki.

Representatives from the Wall of Hope will be present as well as from 1 in 9. "Our organization, 1 in 9, is thrilled to be bringing the California Project to New York, and expects to be able to raise funds to continue building New York's Wall of Hope and hopes to participate with Mile of Survival in Washington DC,"says Ms. Barish. This initial Community Photo Gathering Event on Long Island is underwritten by the Beth Page Federal Credit Union. 1 in 9 is the first grass roost breast cancer advocacy group in New York state, of which Barish is a founding member. 1 in 9 is committed to educating the public about the causes and cures of breast cancer, and is concerned about the high incidence of breast cancer on Long Island.

Marilyn Axelrod Burch speaks at the South Nassau Communities Hospital about the importance of stopping breast cancer.

The New York pilot Community Photo Gathering Event will gather three panels of pictures, or the first 45 pictures with 47 more panels needed to complete NewYork's 100-foot span. Each state is invited to contribute 100 linear feet, by producing 750 portraits, to help form the mile of faces. When complete, the Mile of Survival will carry 37,500 8 x 10 color portraits of breast cancer survivors, some of which are men. Male breast cancer is not common, but there are four men from Long Island who are registered to have their portraits made for the wall at this initial event.

Each of the New York participants will be treated to make up session, new hairstyle and be dressed in three different looks before Kelley Rushing Sweet, the Project's photographer, from Los Angeles, poses them for their special portraits. Each participant will receive a packet of 21 portrait prints in three different sizes, and will select one of their color 8 x 10's to add to the Wall. Each panel of the Wall consists of 15 portraits, and the panels are 6'3'' high, and two feet across