By Allison Zisko
When it comes to a cause as worthwhile as breast cancer treatment and research, Elizabeth Miller knew she could count on her colleagues in the home furnishings industry to provide support.
Three years ago, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, Miller, senior vice president of style and design for Karastan rugs, immersed herself in research and information about the disease. Her thoughts eventually turned to her industry and how it could help eradicate breast cancer. As she gazed out at the crowd assembled at ABC Carpet & Home last month for the third annual gathering of the home design community supporting Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Miller said she realized her instincts were correct.
“As we go forward, I know this industry will look to this cause as an important one,” Miller said. “I am touched.”
The crowd sipped champagne and munched from a greenmarket harvest and “sweets for the cure,” and listened as Paulette Cole, chief executive officer of ABC and Eric Brinker, the son of Komen founder Nancy Brinker, spoke about their commitment to fight breast cancer and to support those battling it.
Since its creation in 1982, Susan G. Komen for the Cure has raised more than $1 billion for research, public education and medical care for breast cancer patients. Recalling the organization’s humble roots, which grew from the $200 his mother had saved in a shoebox, Brinker said Komen is still a grassroots organization. “We’re in supermarkets in Peoria,” he said.
Although modern medicine has made great strides in detecting and treating breast cancer, Brinker is not satisfied. “We’ve made so much progress, but we have so much more to do,” he said.