Nancy Goodman Brinker

Nancy G Brinker (komennyc.org)

Nancy Goodman Brinker was born on December 6th, 1946 in Peoria, Illinois. Her parents names were Eleanor (a homemaker) and Marvin (a commercial real estate developer). Nancy and her sister Susan were born and raised in the Jewish faith. Nancy went to the University of Illinois and graduated in 1968. Nancy was a very successful student and worked very hard. Later on she married Robert Leitstein then had a child named Eric in 1981. After that she got divorced and married Norman E. Brinker (a restaurant chain founder/owner). In 2009 Norman Brinker died. It was very hard for Nancy to be without her husband.

Right now Nancy lives in Dallas, Texas. She is the founder and member of board of directors of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. She is also serving as the World Health Organization's Goodwill Ambassador for cancer control. She got chosen to be a U.S. Ambassador for Hungary from 2001-2003. She also was a Chief Protocol from 2007 to the end of the George W. Bush administration. Nancy Goodman Brinker is an activist, which is a person fighting for a cause - the Race for the Cure Organization. Nancy wrote a book called The Race is Run One Step at a Time which is about the Race for the Cure Races. In the Times Magazine, Nancy was in the top 100 most influential people in 2008! On January 19, 2009 Nancy's son got elected for the Susan G. Komen Board of Directors!

breast cancer symbol! (by Abbey Mertz)

Somewhere in the late 1970's, Susan told Nancy that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. So Nancy flew down to see Susan who found out she had breast cancer. Nancy hated seeing her sister this way. At the hospital Susan was doing chemotherapy and barely surviving. She was in bad shape and was about to die.

Nancy promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would do something to help other people who are sick or even dying from breast cancer. So, when Susan died at the age of 36 in 1980, Nancy decided she needed to do something. In 1982 she came up with the Race for the Cure 5K walk/run/race for women! The first race had 800 women to race and fight for a breast cancer cure. The race is to raise money for curing breast cancer. There have been over 100 races all over the world for the past 20 years! It is a great workout as well as fighting for a good cause.

Breast cancer is a terrible thing to have and the organization needs your help! Men and children can also get breast cancer but not very often. It usually happens in women's bodies. Breast cancer is very tough on people. So that's why the Race for the Cure Organization is trying to help and find a cure. The Breast Cancer survival rate of women is currently at 81%. If the organization gets enough money, they can cure Breast Cancer! The Race for the Cure Organization has raised over 750 million dollars, making it the largest cancer charity in the world!

Nancy at the race (http://www.nonprofitshoppingmall.com/images/pwc/komen-for-the-cure/brinker_race.jpg)

Later on Nancy also was diagnosed with breast cancer. She immediately did chemotherapy and survived. Nancy is a fighter and a great person and is still living today in Texas. She is currently 64 years old. Hopefully they will find the cure for Breast Cancer! Nancy is an amazing woman. She is my hero because she has done a lot to try and cure breast cancer. She is also my hero because she cares about people who have breast cancer and wants to help people every day. I think she is an amazing hero, don't you?