Photo courtesy Duane Berger
Thirty years ago, research and treatment of women’s cancers suffered from a nationwide lack of attention, funding and general awareness. Even as cancer research began to widen its scope in the ’80s and ’90s, women’s health advocacy fell behind.
At the same time, here in Richmond, the decade-old VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center was growing its departments to improve treatment for women while a collection of savvy networkers and cancer survivors sought to clear the hurdles faced by women with cancer. This led to a partnership with VCU Massey to start the annual Women and Wellness fundraiser, which is now a major catalyst of community and charity in Richmond.
“We knew we had a good idea because there was this resounding response from people at Massey, and people in Richmond in general,” says Julie Fritz, one of the event’s founders.
The first Women and Wellness luncheon, held at The Jefferson Hotel on Valentine’s Day in 1995, produced a turnout that surprised even the organizers, Fritz says. Now in its 30th year, the ballroom looks unchanged to Fritz. “Tables full of people are still a good thing to have; it means we’re doing something right.”
This year’s gathering was held in February. Author and breast cancer survivor Judy Pearson joined as the keynote speaker; past years have brought actress Meg Ryan and author Elizabeth Gilbert to The Jefferson to share their stories.
Dr. Mary Helen Hackney, an oncologist with VCU Health, started her role at VCU Massey shortly after the first Women and Wellness event was held. “I heard about it and saw so many women congregating for this cause,” she says. “Here was this nucleus of something that was bringing 300 women together for a cause that was supporting women’s health.”
Hackney cites clinical research as a major key to solving the unknowns of all cancers, adding that fundraisers like Women and Wellness draw funds that support trials for new drugs, treatments and more. “When you do philanthropy, you are doing it not because you necessarily think it’s going to help you, but it’s because you know that there’s a mission for all of us to help each other,” she says.
Over the years, the gathering has built a network of care providers, patients, survivors and loved ones in Richmond and beyond. Farrah Massenburg, a former VCU Massey patient and committee member for Women and Wellness, sees this as one of the event’s biggest strengths.
“You’re connecting with other previous patients, current patients, you’re hearing their stories or stories of people they know,” she says. “You get to know people, you look out for them and the hugs are genuine.”
Beyond the luncheon, organizers at VCU Massey are looking to add new events to continue the conversation: Play It Forward, a charity tennis tournament, will take place Oct. 4-5 at Courtside West in the West End.
After three decades of community growth, longtime attendees like Fritz and Hackney agree that the network of boosters has become generational, a positive sign for the future of the event. “This means so much more to us because it’s been nonstop, we see one another every year,” Fritz says. “We’re happy to all be here together telling these stories and building something bigger together.”
