METAvivor

Metastatic Breast Cancer Research, Support and Awareness

The Minneapolis Metsquerade is a fundraiser for METAvivor, a non-profit organization that uses 100% of donations for metastatic breast cancer research. METAvivor’s mission is to sustain hope for those living with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Passionately committed patients ourselves, we rally public attention to the urgent needs of the MBC community, help patients find strength through support and purpose, and make every dollar count as we work with researchers to regain longevity with quality of life.

About METAvivor

METAvivor is dedicated to the specific fight of women and men living with stage IV metastatic breast cancer. At the time of METAvivor’s founding, no organization was dedicated to funding research for the disease and no patient groups were speaking out about the dearth of stage IV cancer research.  While more and more people have taken up the cry for more stage IV research, METAvivor remains the sole US organization dedicated to awarding annual stage IV breast cancer research.

What They Do

They bring attention to the specific issues of stage IV metastatic breast cancer and raise public awareness about the facts of the disease. With 30% of breast cancer patients metastasizing, their goal is to see to it that 30% of breast cancer support and funding for research is dedicated to metastatic breast cancer.

METAvivor is led by volunteers, most of whom are living with metastatic breast cancer. They Work to obtain grants and corporate sponsors to support their operational expenses. This ensures that donations can be entirely dedicated to research grants that fund the cutting edge research that will ultimately save lives. Unless otherwise specified by the donor, 100% of every donation and 100% of proceeds from every fundraiser (after event expenses) goes into the research grants.

Ribbon colors

Many people identify the pink ribbon for representing breast cancer, however many people that are living with metastatic breast cancer feel as though this does not represent them and their experience. While metastatic breast cancer starts in the breast, it quickly spreads to other organs which is what makes this such a deadly disease. In order to bring more attention to how unique this disease really is, METAvivor created a ribbon with green and teal to represent metastasis to represent triumph of life over death and symbolize renewal, hope, healing and spirituality, and the pink to highlight that the cancer originated in the breast.

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Reasons To Give To METAvivor

Breast cancer fundraisers are everywhere but most of the money raised goes into breast cancer prevention and early detection efforts. Very little of it benefits those already fighting the disease, and only a tiny sliver is dedicated toward research for stage IV, or metastatic breast cancer. METAvivor is the only organization that solely funds MBC research through a scientific peer review process. 100% of all donations and fundraiser proceeds (after event expenses) go to MBC-specific research grants. METAvivor is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and donations (may be) tax deductible (please consult with your tax advisor about information regarding deductions).

Our goal is to have metastatic breast cancer rendered a controlled, manageable and survivable condition where patients can thrive and live normal lives. With your generosity, we can fund the additional research that will help make this possible.

For more information about METAvivor please visit METAvivor.org

Metastatic breast cancer Facts

  • Approximately 6-10% of new breast cancer cases are initially Stage IV or metastatic. This is sometimes called “de novo” metastatic disease, meaning from the beginning.

  •  It is estimated that 20-30% of all breast cancer cases will become metastatic

  • The number of people living with metastatic breast cancer in the US is estimated to be over 155,000, but no statistics are currently collected.

  • Median survival after a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis is three years. Median survival in 1970 was 18 months. **This is why science and research are so important, let’s keep increasing the median survival!

  • Men do get breast cancer and represent approximately 1% of the new cases and deaths from breast cancer in the US.