Breast Health through Education
Donation protected
Hello there! Thank you for taking the time to consider donating to my gofundme page! I am on a mission to bring more awareness on holistic breast health to the world. Lets start here: Did you know that current statistics show that 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer at some point in their life? Did you know that women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation have an 80% higher chance to develop breast cancer (before age 50) than women without that mutation? And also did you know that about 1 in every 500 women in the United States has either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation? Did you know that most women might never be shown how to care for their breasts, or even be shown how to do a thorough self check because in our culture breasts are incredibly taboo and sexualized?
Hi, my name is Kat and I have BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations. I found this information out right before I entered into my Holistic Health Practitioner/ Massage therapy program in 2013, when I was 23 years old and just 4 years after my mother, Tracy, lost her long 9 year battle with breast cancer. Breast cancer runs through my family history very strongly and while I do not have breast cancer it is something I think about every. single. day. My mom, my aunt Kathy, and my aunt Colleen all passed away from breast cancer. My aunt Trudy is a survivor, and my cousin Crystal who also has the genetic mutation is a survivor who underwent a double mastectomy at a very young age. With this background, and witnessing my mom’s journey, I decided to take the holistic approach to life and became a certified Holistic Health Practitioner and licensed massage therapist.
Recently, I attended a women’s gathering in Northern California where I had the privilege to sit in on a discussion on the lymph system and breast health. I was absolutely fascinated by what this woman was offering and began to wonder why I hadn't seen much of this before. I attend many community gatherings and events that offer classes on women’s health that highlight womb care, menstrual mapping, fertility tracking etc. yet I do not recall ever seeing an offering on breast health. And after talking to many friends realized that there are many of us that have absolutely no knowledge of how to do an at home breast exam let alone any preventative care. To make a long story short, at the end of her class I had signed up for a free breast exam which was life changing for me. It was 45 minutes long and very in-depth as opposed to going to the OBGYN and having the doctor poke around at me for a few minutes before rushing me out of the room. It gave me a whole new perspective on self care and ignited inspiration in me like I have never experienced before. I asked her about how she learned this and she told me that she attended the Ayurvedic Clinical Foundations program at the dhyana Center in Sebastopol, Ca. She described her teacher as a pioneer for breast exams and breast health and told me that they attend the Northern California Women's Herbal Symposium 3 times every year to offer free breast exams.
So, WHY DO I HAVE A GOFUNDME?
After returning home from the women's gathering where I met this practitioner I began searching into breast massage, lymph massage, oncology massage classes and nothing resonates with me like the 250 hour dhyana Clinical Foundations program does. The program consists of 3 major areas of focus:
-Foundations & Diagnostics
-Aromatherapy, Herbs & Whole Food Nutrition
-Treatment, Bodywork & Application
I have been known to always be able to manifest things and make it happen, but the problem is that this program begins in a very short time (Oct 12) and I do not have the funds to cover the cost of it at this moment, so I am allowing space to be vulnerable and ask for help. I need to raise at least the down payment of $1,500 by Oct 5 to be able to enroll in this years program. It is only offered once a year, so if I can't make the down payment I would have to wait until next October.
I trust that going into this I not only would be able to support my own healing journey and healing the ancestral lineage of my family, I would also be able to apply this to my current Holistic Massage therapy practice as well as bringing breast health awareness workshops into the community through in person and online platforms. I feel that we deserve to have the knowledge of how to take care of our breasts and I am inspired and feeling passionate to help bring it to the public.
Please consider donating (every single dollar helps) or simply just sharing my page with your contacts as it would mean the world to me! Much love and infinite gratitude always.
Thank you.
Sincerely, Kat
Hi, my name is Kat and I have BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations. I found this information out right before I entered into my Holistic Health Practitioner/ Massage therapy program in 2013, when I was 23 years old and just 4 years after my mother, Tracy, lost her long 9 year battle with breast cancer. Breast cancer runs through my family history very strongly and while I do not have breast cancer it is something I think about every. single. day. My mom, my aunt Kathy, and my aunt Colleen all passed away from breast cancer. My aunt Trudy is a survivor, and my cousin Crystal who also has the genetic mutation is a survivor who underwent a double mastectomy at a very young age. With this background, and witnessing my mom’s journey, I decided to take the holistic approach to life and became a certified Holistic Health Practitioner and licensed massage therapist.
Recently, I attended a women’s gathering in Northern California where I had the privilege to sit in on a discussion on the lymph system and breast health. I was absolutely fascinated by what this woman was offering and began to wonder why I hadn't seen much of this before. I attend many community gatherings and events that offer classes on women’s health that highlight womb care, menstrual mapping, fertility tracking etc. yet I do not recall ever seeing an offering on breast health. And after talking to many friends realized that there are many of us that have absolutely no knowledge of how to do an at home breast exam let alone any preventative care. To make a long story short, at the end of her class I had signed up for a free breast exam which was life changing for me. It was 45 minutes long and very in-depth as opposed to going to the OBGYN and having the doctor poke around at me for a few minutes before rushing me out of the room. It gave me a whole new perspective on self care and ignited inspiration in me like I have never experienced before. I asked her about how she learned this and she told me that she attended the Ayurvedic Clinical Foundations program at the dhyana Center in Sebastopol, Ca. She described her teacher as a pioneer for breast exams and breast health and told me that they attend the Northern California Women's Herbal Symposium 3 times every year to offer free breast exams.
So, WHY DO I HAVE A GOFUNDME?
After returning home from the women's gathering where I met this practitioner I began searching into breast massage, lymph massage, oncology massage classes and nothing resonates with me like the 250 hour dhyana Clinical Foundations program does. The program consists of 3 major areas of focus:
-Foundations & Diagnostics
-Aromatherapy, Herbs & Whole Food Nutrition
-Treatment, Bodywork & Application
I have been known to always be able to manifest things and make it happen, but the problem is that this program begins in a very short time (Oct 12) and I do not have the funds to cover the cost of it at this moment, so I am allowing space to be vulnerable and ask for help. I need to raise at least the down payment of $1,500 by Oct 5 to be able to enroll in this years program. It is only offered once a year, so if I can't make the down payment I would have to wait until next October.
I trust that going into this I not only would be able to support my own healing journey and healing the ancestral lineage of my family, I would also be able to apply this to my current Holistic Massage therapy practice as well as bringing breast health awareness workshops into the community through in person and online platforms. I feel that we deserve to have the knowledge of how to take care of our breasts and I am inspired and feeling passionate to help bring it to the public.
Please consider donating (every single dollar helps) or simply just sharing my page with your contacts as it would mean the world to me! Much love and infinite gratitude always.
Thank you.
Sincerely, Kat
Organizer
Kat Schraiber and Evan Hatfield
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
