Chicago nonprofit raises millions of dollars for breast cancer research
CHICAGO (CBS) -- October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and a name that has become synonymous with breast cancer research in Chicago is Lynn Sage.
Her daughter, Laura Sage, gave CBS News Chicago a look at the woman who has done so much to help the fight against the disease.
"I remember her as being really nice, vibrant, beautiful, kind," said Laura Sage. "She was my mother."
Laura was only 13 when her mother died from breast cancer. Her sister, Halee, was 11.
"Of course, I also have memories of her being sick," Laura said. "She was sick for almost five years."
Lynn grew up in Chicago and attended Nettelhorst School and graduated from Lakeview High School. Children were her passion.
She would go on to become a preschool teacher. She received her diagnosis of breast cancer at the age of 34.
Laura said when her mother became sick, the advances in treatment and medication that are available today didn't exist.
"It was completely different," she said.
She added, "A woman diagnosed today has a much better prognosis than my mother close to 40 years ago. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and for those women, 91%, actually a little bit higher than that, will be alive five years later, and if that woman or man is diagnosed early, then their likelihood of survival is over 98%."
Lynn died in 1984.
The following year, her husband Yale, friends and family founded the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation in her memory. Laura was recently named a co-founder. Her sister Halee is chair of the board.
To date, the nonprofit has raised nearly $50 million with the goal of eradicating breast cancer. Laura said the organization focuses exclusively on funding research that doctors do to combat breast cancer.
"We helped fund Dr. Craig Jordan, who was the founder of Tamoxifen," Laura said. "Tamoxifen has helped millions and millions of people worldwide."
The organization funds the Chicago Breast Cancer Research Consortium, bringing together researchers at Rush University Medical Center, the University of Chicago Medical Center, and Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The researchers do clinical trials for breast cancer patients.
"The idea is to provide equitable healthcare and these really cutting edge treatments that are often a lifeline for somebody once they have been diagnosed, to anybody in Chicagoland," Laura said.
Laura added the nonprofit's goal is to give hope to those diagnosed with breast cancer through the large "hope" sculpture on display at Pioneer Court on Michigan Avenue and raise funds through their annual fall benefit at Theater on the Lake on Thursday, Oct. 24.
As for what Laura feels about the legacy the nonprofit has left for her mother, she said, "I think she'd be very proud.
"It's really a gift to be able to do this in her honor," she said.
For more information on the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation's work and its fall benefit on Oct. 24, visit lynnsage.org. Tickets to the event can be purchased here.
