Sponsored by Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center
More than 160 women have joined forces to make a greater impact on cancer care in the Baton Rouge area. In its first year, The Echo Alliance raised $160,000 and collectively voted to purchase a device for patients at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center that is revolutionizing the treatment of cervical cancer.
The Echo Alliance, launched in January 2022, is a collaborative group of women who make up a “giving circle” dedicated to raising funds for the Cancer Center. Many of them share the experience of watching a loved one suffer through cancer.
The idea was that each woman would make a once-a-year, tax-deductible donation of $1,000, then meet to decide on a fundraising initiative for the Cancer Center. Initially, organizers hoped for a $100,000 donation – meaning 100 women would need to join the giving circle. Today, more than 160 women count themselves as members.
For the inaugural project, the women decided to donate to cervical cancer treatment, specifically
toward a new state-of the-art treatment tool called the Geneva Universal Gynecologic Applicator. The tool resides at Mary Bird Perkins’ location on the Woman’s Hospital campus, giving doctors access to the most advanced version currently on the market and in Louisiana.
Each year, more than 600,000 women worldwide are diagnosed with cervical cancer. Although treatment for the disease is highly effective when detected early, Louisiana has one of the highest cervical cancer death rates in the country.
Dr. Kate Castle, a radiation oncologist with Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, who is also an Echo Alliance member, started using the specialized applicator purchased by the group several months ago. It is inserted inside the body, and a radioactive source moves through the applicator, delivering the radiation from the inside out. Placing the applicator immediately adjacent to the cancer allows the radiation oncologists to deliver a high dose of radiation to the tumor and provides the patient with the best possible outcome. Castle says the applicator has allowed her the ability to treat more advanced disease, and her patients are more comfortable during the process.
The power and appeal of The Echo Alliance is that it’s tangible, Castle says. The women contribute, and in real time, see the difference their funds make in the community. The other aspect is the interconnection – The Echo Alliance offers events throughout the year with speakers on various topics. Members have heard from Castle about the impact the applicator is having on her patients, as well as from the patients themselves who are benefitting.
The Echo Alliance will gather again this spring, and the women will vote on how to spend this year’s funds – through either a one-year project or by allocating funds to a multi-year goal.
“The reason that Mary Bird Perkins is what it is, and why we have leading-edge technology, is because of philanthropy,” Castle says. “If it weren’t for groups like this and other groups that support Mary Bird, we would not be the Cancer Center that we are.”
To learn more about The Echo Alliance and to become a member, visit marybird.org/echoalliancebr.
