Charity dog walk gives new meaning to the phrase “man’s best friend.”
A few years ago, a simple office policy at CosMedic Skin + Body Clinic set off a chain reaction leading to this year’s 4th Annual Bark for Breast Cancer Research charity dog walk. Kate Platis of CosMedic shares:
“It started with a patient getting a breast lift. If you are 40 or over, we make patients get a mammogram as a baseline. We had a 60-year-old patient considering surgery, but she had never had a mammogram. It turns out she had early stage breast cancer. She was so grateful that Dr. Platis had required her to get the mammogram because she wouldn’t have done it on her own. That experience got us wondering what can we do to raise more awareness?”
Like many people, Kate felt funny asking people to sponsor her in a race or other fundraiser. Head over heels in love with her dogs Bentley and Bodhi, Kate realized that it would be easier — and a lot more fun — if her pets asked for sponsors instead.
“Our dogs are a huge part of our lives and come to work with us each day. The idea just evolved and the dogs made it more fun. My dogs send an email with their picture to all our contacts and ask for donations to support the walk. I encourage everyone to be creative with this idea and do the same. It’s more fun than just funding your dog yourself.”
Given that about 85% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history, Kate and Jim Platis shifted from wanting to raise awareness to action.
A mutual friend connected them with The Lynn Sage Foundation and their efforts turned to raising money for research. Looking to make this a community event, Kate reached out to Bruce Haas and Phillip Emigh, owners of the local pet boutique Tails in the City to help organize. “They do so much for dogs and their people in our community, so were an obvious partner for this event.” Last year, about 30 dogs raised around $7,000 for research.
Confirming that too many of our loved ones are affected by breast cancer, Tawny (pictured), the top fundraiser last year, is actually a breast cancer survivor!
“CosMedic does donate 10% of all breast surgeries in October to The Lynn Sage Foundation, but the dog walk is so fun! I love that it’s local and draws from our neighborhood, not just our patients.”
Bring your fur baby and join the Bark for Breast Cancer Research on Sunday, October 15th, from 11am – 12pm. Details and registration available online.
