Our Story

From the time our mom was diagnosed with breast cancer to her heart wrenching death, we could have never imagined the insidious journey this horrific disease would take us on.  What was thought to be a mild case of pneumonia, was actually a deadly case of breast cancer that was not diagnosed in time.

Our mom was our rock.  She was the backbone of our family.  She was the wind beneath our wings.   A devoted mother, wife, sister, grandmother and true friend to many, our mom  demonstrated the kind of courage only mothers have…the kind of courage that kept her nine children from ever knowing her pain, her sadness or her fear.  She held on tightly to her faith…and remained strong and determined throughout her ordeal with breast cancer.

Our mom devoted her entire life to her nine children and twenty five grandchildren.  She taught us values and the importance of giving back to those less fortunate.  She instilled in us, the importance of sharing, caring and the true meaning of commitment.  While our dad was working at our family business, our mom was working at home to make sure we had what we needed.   Not only did she instill in us the courage, strength and inspiration to always be our best, she encouraged us to celebrate life…dance in the rain…and sing out loud, as if no-one were listening.  She taught us that, even through tough times, strong families always prevail.  

Never, did we think she would die of such a terrible disease.   Never, did we want her to suffer.    Her death was not only shocking to us, but also very angering.   Suddenly, the happy, comforting world that we had known all our lives had changed…dramatically.  We could not fathom how we would move on without her.  The pain we felt for our dad was immeasurable.
 
Shortly after her death, we realized that if we didn’t do something quick to help fight this horrific disease, it could steal more of our loved ones.   We also knew that more awareness, more education, and more funding for critical breast health programs could help women and men detect breast tumors earlier and ultimately, save lives!
 
The Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation was established in 2004 in memory of our mom and in honor of her courageous fight against breast cancer.  Our mission is to raise breast cancer awareness, increase breast health education, and generate funding for critical breast health programs that are in desperate need of being brought to fruition.  Our promise is that 100% of the net proceeds will remain right here in our local community.   We recognize breast self examination as a critical tool in the fight against breast cancer.  We also recognize all of the breast health care providers as essential partners in the war against this disease.

Ironically, our quest to help other women and men cope with this disease would force us down a road too often traveled.  Not only did our mom Gloria suffer from breast cancer, but our sister Gloria was recently diagnosed with this horrific disease.   At the young age of 41, our sister was faced with enduring this disease…again.  Because of our proactive approach to breast self exam and early detection, our sister was fortunate to have found her cancer early.  Her courage and determination have prevailed. 

Chances are you are visiting our site because you or someone you know has been affected by breast cancer.   You’ve come to the right place!  The simple facts are that one in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime and one woman dies from this disease every 13 minutes in the U.S.  Did you know that men can get breast cancer too?  Over 2,000 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and over 450 will die from this disease. 

If you would like to see more information about a specific topic or know of a valuable resource you would like to have added to our site, drop us a line.  We would love to hear from you!

Thank You!

The Gemma Family & The Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation

Pictured above:  Gloria & Larry Gemma with their nine children.  From L – R:  Joe, Larry, Eddy, Lenny, Susan, Joan, Maria, bottom row:  Anthony and Gloria.