The Hurwitz Breast Cancer Fund was established in 1999 by Jeff and Patty Hurwitz, after Patty’s diagnosis of breast cancer. Because there was no comprehensive breast center in Frederick at that time, Patty had to travel to a major metropolitan area for her care and treatment. She and Jeff wanted to start a fund to bring the very best breast cancer treatment to Frederick residents. Believing that early diagnosis was the key to Patty’s successful outcome, the goal of the fund has been to provide the most innovative options in early detection and treatment of breast cancer to the Frederick community.

This is an exciting year for our Fund!   We are celebrating our 25th Anniversary:  25 years of bringing our community together to fight breast cancer locally!   Because of your support, we have raised over $3.5 million over these last 25 years, and every dollar of that money raised has gone to direct care for breast cancer patients here in the greater Frederick area.  No administrative or event expense costs have come out of the donations we’ve received.

Over the past 25 years, we have been able to provide the latest technologies and services to Frederick Health for the treatment of breast cancer patients locally.   Some of these included: 3D and CAD Mammography Systems, a breast coil for MRI imaging, curved paddles to improve the comfort of mammograms, biopsy equipment, and the funding of the entire Medical Oncology suite at the James M. Stockman Cancer Institute, plus special enhancements to the Breast Center at Frederick Health.

More recently, we have been working on the following initiatives:

  • Funding a Research Nurse Navigator position to enable Frederick Health to bring clinical trials to breast cancer patients at the Breast Center. Because of this funding, at least eight new breast cancer trials are now in place.
  • Purchase of a refrigerated centrifuge that is required for conducting clinical trials
  • Purchase of a DocuSign program that is necessary to securely enroll patients in clinical trials
  • Funding a pilot program for High Risk Genetic Testing for breast cancer screening
  • Funding a pilot program for Population Health Testing for breast cancer screening
  • Funding an Imaging Nurse Navigator to assist newly diagnosed patients with next steps, and decrease wait times from diagnosis to treatment
  • Funding the development of a Boutique at the Breast Center that will provide all necessary prostheses and other accessories needed during treatment for breast cancer
  • A start-up donation for the development of a Biobank at Frederick Health

We are particularly excited to be bringing cutting edge genetics and clinical trials to the Breast Center at Frederick Health!   This opens up a whole new world of possibilities for predicting cancer risks and treating it with better precision and fewer side effects.  And the Boutique at the Breast Center will enhance the recovery and quality of life for breast cancer patients.

We have been so richly blessed by the support of our entire community over the past 25 years, that has enabled us to accomplish so much.   We hope you will join us on this journey, as we continue our quest to provide the very best care for breast cancer patients in our community.

The Hurwitz Breast Cancer Fund is a not-for-profit fund with a 501 (c)(3) tax status. All contributions to the fund are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.