Virtually everyone has been touched by cancer in some way. Mary Kay’s personal encounter came in 1980 when her husband, Mel Ash, died of lung cancer. Subsequently, each time a member of the extended Mary Kay family was diagnosed, she became even more determined to work to find a cure. In 1987, Mary Kay decided to put her money where her heart was and asked the independent sales force and employees at Mary Kay Inc. to do the same. Together they began raising funds for cancer research, and in 1996, the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation was established to formalize the raising and distributing of research funds for cancers affecting women.

Cancer by the numbers
This year, 211,000 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer, the most common type among women, excluding skin cancer. Another 80,000 women will be diagnosed with a cancer of the reproductive organs. According to the American Cancer Society, one-third of all women will face a diagnosis of cancer in their lifetimes. Fortunately, the odds of recovery today have increased dramatically, thanks to the medical advances and scientific breakthroughs that philanthropies such as the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation are helping to support.

Click here to learn more about the cancer research studies conducted by the medical scientists supported by the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation.