Evelyn Lauder
“My efforts to join the fight against breast cancer all began around the fact that women were getting short-changed in the medical arena.”
Evelyn was born in Vienna, Austria on August 12, 1936, and came to America in 1940 with her parents who fled Nazi-occupied Europe. According to an article from the National Museum of American History, the experience of fleeing Europe “made her tough ... Her strength enabled her to help lead a global cosmetics company, Estée Lauder after she married into the Lauder family.” In 1989, Lauder was diagnosed with breast cancer. This led her to become an advocate for women’s health, and in 1992 she joined forces with the editor of Self magazine, Alexandra Penney, to launch a Pink Ribbon Campaign with the intended purpose to bring awareness to breast cancer. The campaign consisted of “placing pledge cards and petitions at makeup counters and branding certain Estée Lauder products with pink ribbon designs.” The pink ribbon to this day is a symbol of breast cancer awareness.
Lauder’s efforts didn’t stop with the Pink Ribbon Campaign.
In 1993, while sitting around her kitchen table, Lauder launched the Breast Cancer Research Foundation with Dr. Larry Norton and her husband Leonard Lauder. “Norton had explained that researchers were gaining an understanding of the molecular science of cancer, but that there needed to be greater communication between scientists and clinical researchers to bring together advances in the molecular understanding of cancer with knowledge of effective ways of preparing drugs and testing them clinically.” Lauder’s experiences as an arts philanthropist and businesswoman made her uniquely qualified to think of a solution. “She understood the ability to create — including in cutting-edge scientific research — rested on the scope for imagination along with the financial security to fail constructively and learn from the experience. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation was born to give cancer researchers those opportunities.”
This is the B.E.A.U.T.Y. of Evelyn Lauder. She took her knowledge of creativity and experience in the business world and used it to further efforts in the medical community specifically for women. Her example shows us that our experiences and their value are not limited to our field of expertise. If we see a need and have a willing heart, God can use our talents and experiences in any area!
In the United States, the month of October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and by looking at Evelyn Lauder and how her B.E.A.U.T.Y. impacted breast cancer in the medical community, we are reminded that women’s health issues matter. Our bodies are unique and therefore so are our struggles. So if you are a woman who has struggled or is still struggling with women’s health issues such as:
-Breast Cancer -Gynecological Cancer -Endometriosis
-Uterine Fibroids
-Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
We pray for your healing, we pray for God’s comfort, and we pray for strong voices to continue to rise up in the medical community so that answers would be found, and breakthroughs would come in women’s health.