Persado x Colleen Allen | Breast Cancer Research Foundation Fund

***Use this fund to unlock your $50 Persado match to support this fundraiser by Monday, September 29*** Hi, I'm Colleen and I'm running the NYC Marathon to raise money for breast cancer research! As an individual who has directly benefited from BCRF-funded research and seen its impact firsthand, I am honored to complete my first marathon with an amazing team of individuals in support of BCRF. I'm running for BCRF in support of my mom and her two sisters, all of whom are survivors of breast cancer. I had my own scare earlier in the year when regular monitoring with my doctor identified a mass and a set of highly suspicious calcifications in one of my breasts. After a series of biopsies, I’m happy to report that my results were benign and that my doctors and I have identified the best possible monitoring plan moving forward. While I’m not a carrier of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations, BCRF researchers have identified at least 13 other genes in which mutations can significantly increase breast cancer risk and continue to investigate dozens more. This research is critical in advancing our knowledge of the disease, and private funding is more important than ever as medical research grants are being cut.