Our Founder

Nancy Ryan was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma in 1989.  Compelled to learn more about breast cancer, she attended a 1991 breast cancer conference in Chicago, where she learned about the newly formed National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC).  Nancy offered to help with NBCC’s campaign called “Do The Write Thing” by collecting signatures calling on members of Congress to increase federal funding for breast cancer research.  Nancy exceeded New Hampshire’s goal of 870 signatures by shipping over 4,000 signatures from New Hampshire residents to Washington, DC, for the campaign.

The “Do The Write Thing” signature campaign raised awareness about breast cancer and eventually led in 1992 to the creation of the Department of Defense Peer-Reviewed Breast Cancer Research Program (DOD BCRP), an innovative, uniquely structured research program that includes trained advocates at every level.  To date, the DOD BCRP has raised over $4.5 billion in federal research funding, including over $14 million awarded to New Hampshire researchers.

In 1992, buoyed by the energy and response to “Do The Write Thing,” Nancy invited ten New Hampshire women to meet in Concord to build on NBCC’s focus on breast cancer as a political issue.  The group voted unanimously to form the New Hampshire Breast Cancer Coalition (NHBCC).  In August 1992, the IRS approved NHBCC’s application to become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose original mission was to “eradicate breast cancer through action, education and advocacy.”