Men Breast Cancer & The Environment A Photographic Journey

Military Men with Breast Cancer Gather for Boston Photo Shoot
Calendar to highlight another group affected by the disease

(Framingham, Ma) August 3, 2010) -- When the Art Because Breast Cancer Foundation began its quest to seed research on environmental causes for breast cancer no one was sure what they would find or where it could lead.

In 2008, the "Portrait Project" emerged, using the photography talents of local artist David Fox to capture the spirit of women with breast cancer. The photos were taken and a calendar printed in 2009 as a fundraising tool.

What they weren't expecting was for the military men to step up and admit to having the disease.

The first calendar featured one of those men, Pete Devereaux, a former marine. The calendar was followed by a premiere public showing of "Illuminating the Survivor Spirit" in March 2010 In Brookline, Massachusetts in the Gallery at The New England Institute of Art. This project continues to grow and illustrate the statistic that 90% of those diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the disease.

The projects generated such interest that Phase Two is now in progress. Sixteen military men will gather in Boston on Saturday and Sunday August 21 and 22 to tell their stories and to pose for the next calendar project "Men with Breast Cancer," which will be unveiled at the Foundation's annual Gala in October.

"We are so pleased that these men have stepped forward," says Ellie Anbinder, the founder and Executive Director of The Art Because Breast Cancer Foundation. "All of the men who are being flown into Boston and put up for the weekend by generous donors were at one time at Camp LeJeune in North Carolina. We don't know whether this is coincidence or what the root causes are, but we at the Foundation are committed to funding research to explore every avenue that is open to uncover the links between the environment and breast cancer."

Photographer David Fox will be turning rooms at The Liberty Hotel in Boston into a studio for the two days. As with the women who posed for the Calendar in (year), the men will be able to present themselves in any manner they see fit. "Each woman took a different approach," says Fox. "Some revealed their scars, while others chose to pose, fully clothed, smiling and holding their children close." Fox says he doesn't know what will happen, but, having lost his first wife to the disease, he knows the emotions in the room will run high.

The Gallery show is moving on to The Art Institute of Philadelphia in February and March and the plan is to have it tour. "We hope the exposure from both the calendar and the gallery shows will raise the visibility of the indiscriminate nature of this disease and that it's not just one that strikes women," says Anbinder.

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