October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to reflect on progress made, lives touched, and the work still ahead. For BBF, it’s also a chance to look back on the impact of the Blossoming Beyond Breast Cancer Fund, which has been changing lives since its launch in 2021. Founded by Laura Kelly, BBF’s Vice President of Communications and Development, following her own Stage III breast cancer diagnosis, the fund supports education, treatment, and recovery services that help women flourish through every stage of their journey.

Since its inception, Blossoming Beyond has extended its reach across the United States and around the world. In Georgia, BBF has partnered with Keepers of the Flame to provide trauma-informed counseling to women undergoing or recovering from breast cancer treatment. The program offers free, accessible therapy by removing barriers such as cost, stigma, and geography, and recently took a significant step forward by digitizing its application process. This new system allows patients to enroll within hours, often with the help of their doctor or care provider, and ensures that funds can be reallocated when needed to serve women at the right time in their recovery. In 2025, the program has continued to connect women with timely mental health support, ensuring they can access care when they need it most.

Internationally, the fund has supported the work of RAD-AID International, a nonprofit expanding access to radiology and imaging technology in underserved communities. With BBF’s support, RAD-AID has advanced women’s health services in Northern India through a mobile health program that will include mammography. In Tanzania, BBF funding helped Ampola Tasakhtaa Hospital in Zanzibar train radiologists and technologists in breast imaging, improving diagnosis and care for more than one million residents. Additional funds are earmarked for training in Vietnam, ensuring that skilled care reaches women in multiple regions where resources are scarce.

The program has also reached women in Honduras through the Ribbons of Love initiative, which provides comprehensive cancer care to those unable to afford treatment. From diagnostic services like mammography and biopsies to surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and public awareness campaigns, this partnership addresses both early detection and life-saving interventions.

Closer to home, BBF has provided support for patients at the infusion center at St. Luke’s Montefiore Hospital in New York—where Laura Kelly herself received treatment—ensuring that those undergoing breast or prostate cancer treatment have access to critical resources
during a challenging time.

Over the past four years, Blossoming Beyond has become more than a grantmaking program. It is a bridge between treatment and true healing. The fund has stayed true to its purpose: empowering women to not only survive but to thrive. This work is made possible by the generosity of BBF’s donors, whose gifts provide hope, care, and opportunity for women facing one of life’s toughest battles. 

As we mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we are reminded that awareness is only the beginning—action, compassion, and sustained support are what truly help women blossom beyond. Together, we are building a future where every woman has the chance to thrive.