It started with a promise

In 1980, Suzy Komen died of breast cancer at age 36 — at a time when people whispered the words “women’s cancer,” and newspapers hesitated to print “breast.” The disease carried stigma and silence. Public conversation was rare. Funding was limited. Research lagged far behind the need.

Before she died, Suzy asked her sister Nancy to do something — anything — to spare other families from the same suffering. Nancy made a promise.

In 1982, with a shoebox full of names, a handful of volunteers, and an unshakable sense of purpose, that promise became Susan G. Komen — an organization that would grow into the largest breast cancer movement in the world.

What began in 1980s Dallas was powered by local women, grassroots energy, and urgency. Long before social media, the movement spread city to city, woman to woman. Stories were shared. Affiliates were formed. Communities mobilized.

The early years were not easy. Corporate doors closed. Skepticism was common. Many preferred not to talk about breast cancer at all. But through strategic partnerships, marketing innovation, political engagement, and relentless advocacy, the conversation moved from the margins to the mainstream.

What followed was a public health transformation:

• More than $3.6 billion invested in research, treatment, and community outreach — helping advance 30 new FDA-approved therapies and guide hundreds of thousands of patients through care

• A new model of cause-related marketing that reshaped nonprofit fundraising

• Race for the Cure®, the first large-scale peer-to-peer fundraising event of its kind

• The pink ribbon, now a universal symbol of hope, survivorship, and solidarity

Promise Me tells the story of how one promise became a shared mission — and how millions of volunteers, survivors, scientists, donors, and advocates helped transform the way the world talks about — and fights — breast cancer.

It is a story of loss and love, of grit and resolve, and of how collective action can change the course of public health.