It has been 37 years since Janelle Hail was first diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time, she was 34 and married with three young children. “I felt so empty inside, like something had been stolen inside and a part my life had been taken,” Hail said. Through a self-examination she learned in school, she found a lump in her breast and she immediately went to the doctor. The result was an early diagnosis of breast cancer, which led to a mastectomy. Hail said it was because of that early detection that she survived. Throughout her hospital stays, she said she learned about the lack of information available to patients about breast cancer. “I felt a need to give back to society, and I felt grateful to God that my life has been spared,” Hail said. In 1991, Hail and her husband Neal founded the National Breast Cancer Foundation in Bedford, Texas, to help women by providing early detection, education and support services. “We saw a great need to help the underserved because at the time, [breast cancer charities were] about research, which is very important, but it wasn’t helping women at the point of their need,” Hail said. “We saw a need and wanted to fill it.” Today, NBCF is one of the most highly recognized nonprofit organizations in the world. The organization has been based in Frisco since 2006. A big part of the organization’s mission is education through breast health awareness and early detection education. “Research wasn’t what saved my life. It was finding a lump myself,” Hail said. “… I realized that early detection is a real key in being able to save people’s lives. Then I thought about all the women in need that didn’t have any money or any means, and we could do something to get them into the health care system.” NBCF provides free, innovative programs for women who are facing breast cancer. These programs include the National Mammography Program, in which NBCF partners with medical facilities across the country to offer free mammograms and diagnostic breast cancer services to underserved women. NBCF has also launched a program called Beyond The Shock, a comprehensive online guide to understanding breast cancer. It is a resource for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, a place for family and friends to gain a better understanding of the disease and a tool for doctors to share information. People from around the world have access to this tool through an app or by going online. NBCF partners with hospitals across the country, such as MD Anderson, Mayo Clinic, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Fred Hutchinson Research Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins and Cleveland Clinic. Since its inception, NBCF has partnered with many brands, including USA Today, Jamba Juice, FujiFilm, Columbia, Harley Davidson, Adidas, Evian, Amazon, American Greetings and Dillard’s. NBCF is also a partner of Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon, a women’s health initiative of the George W. Bush Institute. In 2012, NBCF traveled with former President George W. Bush to Zambia and Botswana to provide assistance to people. “We see NBCF as a great connector of people because sometimes just having money is not always the answer for what somebody needs,” Hail said. “Many times, organizations need each other but don’t know how to get to each other, but we’ve always been wonderful at connecting and partnering with people.” National Breast Cancer Foundation 2600 Network Blvd., Ste. 300, Frisco 972-248-9200 www.nationalbreastcancerfoundation.org