ALISO VIEJO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Mauli Ola Foundation (MOF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing hope and confidence to people living with genetic diseases, today launched the second annual Battle for the Breasts. Powered by Surfline, and supported by Ambry Genetics, the contest features sixteen top female surfers competing for a chance to win up to $125,000 total in hereditary breast cancer genetic testing vouchers for cancer center foundations across the United States.
According to the National Cancer Institute, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the U.S.
“I am so proud to be part of Battle for the Breasts. This is a great cause to support breast cancer awareness and encourage women to learn more about their risk,” said professional surfer Bethany Hamilton, who was last year’s winning surfer. “During Breast Cancer Awareness month, you can visit Surfline.com, where you can watch some amazing surfing skills and learn more about hereditary breast cancer.”
Battle for the Breasts helps to spread awareness about the importance of early detection and screening for breast cancer. For the contest, 16 cancer clinics and hospital foundations have been randomly paired with 16 top women’s professional surfers. Each surfer submits a video clip that the public can watch by visiting www.surfline.com, where they can vote for the surfer they think has the best moves. Every Thursday throughout October, the public voting narrows the playing field until there’s a winner. Everyone can follow the action on Facebook, Instagram (@Battleforthebreasts), and Twitter (#BattlefortheBreasts).
The top four surfers will win genetic testing vouchers for the foundation they are chosen to represent. The remaining 12 surfers also will receive a voucher for a comprehensive BRCA1/2 analysis for the foundation they are representing in the contest. Ambry Genetics plans to donate all vouchers for testing to these foundations, on behalf of the surfers.
“I am very excited about our second Battle for the Breasts competition. This is an important initiative, and I’m proud that Mauli Ola Foundation will help raise awareness for breast cancer. With the support of Ambry Genetics, we will help people access genetic testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer to empower them to take charge of their health. Thank you to all the sponsors, surfers, and staff that are making this possible.” said James Dunlop, President, Mauli Ola Foundation.
This year’s Battle for the Breasts athletes and their paired centers are:
- Alana Blanchard on behalf of the MLC Cancer Foundation, Martinsville, VA
- Alessa Quizon on behalf of Southcoast Hospitals Group Inc., New Bedford, MA
- Bianca Buitendag on behalf of Health Services of Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA
- Carissa Moore on behalf of the University of Texas Foundation, Austin, TX
- Coco Ho on behalf of Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, Foundation for St. Francis and Franklin Inc., Milwaukee, WI
- Courtney Conlogue on behalf of the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
- Dimity Stoyle on behalf of Parkview Health System Inc., Fort Wayne, IN
- Johanne Defay on behalf of St. Joseph’s Hospital of Tampa Foundation Inc., Tampa, FL
- Lakey Peterson on behalf of Saint Thomas Hospital Foundation, Nashville, TN
- Laura Enever on behalf of the Saint Francis Foundation, Hartford, CT
- Mahina Maeda on behalf of Northeast Georgia Health System Inc., Gainesville, GA
- Nikki Van Dijk on behalf of the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- Pauline Ado on behalf of Tufts Medical Center Parent Inc., Boston, MA
- Sage Erickson on behalf of the Forsyth Memorial Hospital Inc., Forsyth Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC
- Silvana Lima on behalf of St. Vincent Hospital Foundation Inc., Indianapolis, IN
- Tatiana Weston-Webb on behalf of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
You can learn more about Battle for the Breasts and The Mauli Ola Foundation by visiting www.mauliola.org.