Christine Meredith Miele Foundation Hosts Party to Raise Money for Breast Cancer Awareness, Research and Prevention

The Christine Meredith Miele Foundation hosted a cocktail party on May 12 at Danny's in Red Bank to raise money for breast cancer prevention, educate their guests about avoidance and create awareness for the foundation's mission.

"My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 29 when she was pregnant with our third child," said Shawn Miele, Christine's husband and the founder of the foundation. 

Her chances of living beyong 5 years was very small, but she made it 11 years, he said. Christine passed in July 2010. The foundation was started a that month and this event is their first major fund raiser. The money raised through this event will be donated through different initiative that have detect breast cancer as early as possible. 

After she was first diagnosed, Christine became an active spokesperson, speaking at schools about her experience around the Rumson-Fair Haven area and spreading the word about detecting breast cancer early. "Her family tree is riddled with breast cancer, she became a big advocate for risk assessment and early detection," said Shawn. "The reason that risk assessment and early detection are important is because if you detect breast cancer at stage zero, the 5 year survival rate is 93 percent. It you detect cancer at stage 4, the 5 year survival rate is 15 percent."

Miele said the mission of the foundation is to defeat breast cancer. "The best way to do that is to catch it early. That is why we are tying to advance risk assessment and early detection. They are the most sure ways that you can possibly defeat breast cancer," said Shawn. Risk assessment is the science of figuring out who might be susceptible to breast cancer. Early detection is catching it early. 

Raising money and awareness for these preventative measures is so important because Shawn feels this is "the area that can do the most good in saving lives." This is because the vast majority of research dollars spent on breast cancer go towards drug development, or treating existing cancers which has a fairly low success rate.

"The only real way to be sure you can defeat breast cancer is to catch it before it starts, or just as it's starting. Once it's advanced, all the drugs in the world won't save you," said Shawn. "The death rate for breast cancer is the same as it was 40 years ago, and that is why we need to catch it before it even starts."

All the money raised at the event will do just that. Guests paid $75 to enjoy a cocktail party with passed hor' dourves, music and friends. The night raised over $6,000. Examples of where the money will go are grants for scientists researching genetic mutations that cause breast cancer and a program at Riverview Medical Center that helps women without heath insurance pay for yearly mammograms.