Shrewsbury resident Audrey Kurlan-Marcy.
Photo credit: Lindsay Corcoran

SHREWSBURY, Mass. – It was 26 years ago when Shrewsbury resident Audrey Kurlan-Marcy first became involved in a non-profit organization helping cancer patients and since then it has become her life's work.

Kurlan-Marcy's work first started with Hope Lodge, a home for cancer patients seeking treatment in Boston and Worcester, but she has since moved on to chair organizations on pancreatic cancer and, most recently, started Pink Revolution, a breast cancer alliance.

"It's definitely a passion," Kurlan-Marcy said. "I really wanted to focus on my calling."

Pink Revolution, which Kurlan-Marcy co-founded with the help of a breast cancer survivor in October 2010, works with the UMass Comprehensive Breast Cancer Center to fund researcher and help individual patients on a day-to-day basis.

"The empowerment of breast cancer patients is unlike anything I've ever seen," Kurlan-Marcy said. She noted this was one of the reasons she wanted to partner with a survivor when starting the alliance.

She started the Pink Revolution after planning a Pink event for UMass.

"I worked with survivors there and I saw how fired up they were," Kurlan-Marcy said. "I got this ah-ha moment and I knew that I needed to do it."

Kurlan-Marcy said she wanted to proactive, rather than reactive following her years of involvement with other types of cancer.

"We want to be different," said Kurlan-Marcy. "We wanted to be more than just a walk or donating only to research."

While Kurlan-Marcy noted that money for cancer research is important, she said she really wanted to do something to help cancer patients today.

"We're looking at the living aspect," Kurlan-Marcy said. "What can we do right now for breast cancer patients? They can be cured, but they may not be healed. Research is great for tomorrow, but what can we do today."

Pink Revolution hosts symposiums on health, nutrition and others to help women "Live Stronger."

Since the Pink Revolution is smaller than many breast cancer non-profits, Kurlan-Marcy said people can know exactly where the money is going – to cancer patients in Central Mass.

Kurlan-Marcy said Pink Revolution often works to help the "under-insured," whose insurance won't cover some of the things that help patients get back on their feet, like wigs or even gas cards to help them get to and from their appointments.

"We want to do the most with what we have," Kurlan-Marcy said.