Expedition Inspiration Remembers Brenda Williams, Celebrates Breast Cancer Research

Roll Out the Red Carpet for Breast Cancer Research Dinner and Auction raised more than $75,000.

BOISE, Idaho, October 25, 2012—Expedition Inspiration Fund for Breast Cancer Research hosted its fourth annual Roll Out the Red Carpet for Breast Cancer Research Dinner and Auction Wednesday, October 24, at the Stueckle Sky Center. More than 270 guests gathered to honor the memory of Dr. Brenda M. Williams, who lost her battle with breast cancer in 2009. The evening included dinner, a live and silent auction, a paddle up for breast cancer research, co-hosts Dee Sarton and Carolyn Holly and special guest speaker Mark Pegram, MD, of the Stanford Cancer Center.

Mitch Williams courageously addressed the audience for the first time since his wife’s passing and shared some anecdotal memories of his time with his wife Brenda. Recalling her decision to participate in a remote trial towards the end of her time and his own frustration, he repeated Brenda’s justification to the audience with, "If not me, who? If not now, when?”

Familiar faces and honored guests mingled during the festive evening.	The event once again honored the late Dr. Brenda Williams

"How could you say no to that?” Mitch asked the audience, before charging them with the very same advice prior to the to the paddle-up portion of the evening, which raised $20,000. The proceeds from the paddle up go directly towards the Dr. Brenda Williams Young Investigator Award. The 2012 recipient of the award is Amy S. Clark, MD, of the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology at University of Pennsylvania.

During dinner, Dr. Mark Pegram, Director of the Breast Cancer Program at Stanford Cancer Institute and Professor of Medicine at Stanford University, shared his breast cancer research expertise in his presentation "Breast Cancer in the Genomic Age.”

Pegram explained the incredible diversity present in every single case of breast cancer, and the challenges that diversity brings to finding cures. "The key is finding certain pathways, certain ‘tree trunks’ to take out various branches and offshoots of the disease that have the same route,” said Pegram. "Based on groundbreaking research published just two months ago, I think we need to move towards investing in prevention and early detection research, as well as in this ‘pathway’ therapeutic approach.”


Co-hosts Carolyn Holly and Dee Sarton of KTVB NewsChannel 7 encouraged their own motto of "Not competition, consolidation,” to be the theme of the evening, and Auctioneer Larry Flynn kept the bid numbers up with humor and heartfelt memories of EI Founder Laura Evans.  

"It think it was the most engaged I’ve ever seen the guests,” said Jackie Maybach, Expedition Inspiration board member and Boise core committee board member. "I want to thank all of our generous supporters, donors and volunteers for their commitment to my Women’s Health Associates partner Brenda, and most of all their commitment to finding breast cancer cures.”

Women’s Health Associates was a gold level sponsor, marking their continued support of Expedition Inspiration’s mission to find new cures and prevention strategies in the fight against breast cancer so the people we love won't suffer from the disease.

Additional funds raised at the dinner and auction help underwrite the Annual Laura Evans Memorial Breast Cancer Symposium. The Symposium an invitation-only conference that brings together the best breast cancer research minds in the world. The attendees have intense working sessions to share unpublished information, analyze breakthroughs, recognize hurdles to finding a cure and discuss advances in treatment.

The next Symposium is February 12-16, 2013 in Sun Valley, Idaho, titled "The Role of Inflammation & Immunity in Breast Cancer Etiology & Treatment”.

For more information, please visit www.expeditioninspiration.org, follow "BreastCancerEI” on Twitter and YouTube and like the Expedition Inspiration Fund for Breast Cancer Research page on Facebook.