Making Vital Connections with Living Beyond Breast Cancer

“Breast cancer impacts more than just your physical health: it’s your emotional wellbeing, it’s your finances, it’s your relationships with your friends and family.” These words from Monica Steigerwald, the Vice President of Development for the nonprofit Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC), ring especially true for the hundreds of thousands of women in the United States diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Breast cancer is “the most common cancer in women in the United States, with one in eight women developing invasive breast cancer over the course of their lives.”

Steigerwald, a breast cancer survivor herself, understands firsthand how important resources and a community network are for those who are experiencing everything that comes with a breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and beyond.

Founded in 1991 and based out of Philadelphia, PA, LBBC provides important breast cancer information, along with access to various support systems. Steigerwald explains that the full-time LBBC staffers and their dedicated team of volunteers are “there for the good days, the bad days and everything in between.”

The organization connects an estimated 600,000 people each year through both online and in-person resources, often made possible through their growing network of 11,000 healthcare providers from across the country. This includes support groups, financial assistance grants (which distribute over $350,000 in aid each year), a breast cancer helpline and a book program for children whose parents have been recently diagnosed.

For donors who have been directly impacted by breast cancer, the efforts of LBBC have undoubtedly left a powerful, personal mark. This is especially evident for those who give through vehicles like donor-advised funds (DAFs). In 2023, the nonprofit received over $152,000 in DAF giving alone, a trend that only continues to grow. (For comparison, LBBC saw $103,000 in giving via DAFs in 2021.)

“They’re a really great giving vehicle and they are really making an impact,” Steigerwald says, adding that unrestricted, long-term giving in particular “allows us to meet people where their greatest needs are.” This includes providing access to resources such as webinars, information sessions and anything else “that allows us to help as many people as possible to keep as up to date with vital news and information.”

Donor support also allows LBBC to keep their resources free of charge or low-cost to anyone who needs them, an essential part of their work. “Cancer is expensive,” Steigerwald says plainly, adding, “we’re really committed to making sure [resources] remain accessible to all.” (Studies have found that treatment costs for breast cancer can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.)

Another way LBBC connects individuals is through story sharing on their blog and their podcast “Can and Did.” Steigerwald explains that amplifying voices of people dealing with breast cancer diagnoses can directly impact the community.

“[When you are diagnosed with breast cancer] there’s so much medical terminology that comes at you,” she says, noting that “being able to hear stories that are similar to yours that are told in plain, no-nonsense language is crucial in feeling less alone.” For the individuals and families directly impacted by breast cancer, that need for understanding, free of judgment, can feel nothing short of necessary.

Photos courtesy of Living Beyond Breast Cancer