Community Corner

Hotel Del Honors Breast Cancer Survivors, Komen San Diego's Top Fundraisers

The Hotel del Coronado joins forces with Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure to celebrate survival and womanhood with an evening of pampering at the hotel's spa.

The and Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure recently partnered to honor the foundation's top 12 fundraisers in San Diego. The women—all breast cancer survivors—were treated to an evening of pampering at the hotel’s ultra plush spa.   

“When you get breast cancer, you go through all this treatment, and your womanhood gets stripped. You lose a sense of being pretty,” said Laura Farmer Sherman, executive director of Komen’s San Diego office.

The Eat, Pray, Spa event was held to celebrate these women, to make them feel special, and to lessen what Sherman calls “the ick of it,” in reference to the surgeries and chemotherapy many women with the disease endure. 

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“We have amazing gratitude for their courage as a breast cancer survivor, but we also appreciate their efforts in becoming one of the top fundraisers,” Sherman said.

Sherman, who is also a breast cancer survivor, explained that 75 percent of the funds raised go to support breast health services for uninsured and underinsured individuals in the community, and 25 percent of the money goes to support important national research.

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“They are raising money for women who have nothing—women who are choosing between chemotherapy or rent,” she added.

The grounds of the Hotel Del provided the perfect setting while the ladies waited for their spa treatments. They sipped champagne and nibbled on hors d’oeuvres on the spa’s private pool deck, with and the moonlit Pacific Ocean in the background.

“We’re very happy to have this opportunity to work with a local foundation, to bring awareness to what they’re doing and the wellness that we’re promoting,” said spa director Nancy King.

The Spa at the Del is currently offering a Celebration of Life lymphatic massage for the public. With each massage purchase, the hotel will donate $5 to the local Komen chapter.

In addition to the top 12 fundraisers, the hotel also welcomed Dr. May Al Mahayni, who opened the first breast cancer foundation in Syria. Mahayni participated in the San Diego three-day walk several years ago in honor of a friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer. Mahayni said she was so touched and inspired by the experience that she wanted to start a similar tradition in her own country.  

Because of her efforts, thousands of women now participate in a three-day walk in Damascus, Syria, each year. Her foundation has continued to grow, with increased services such as free mammograms on Mother’s Day.

Mahayni’s presence at the spa event served as a reminder that the effects of breast cancer reach far beyond America.

“Breast cancer doesn’t have any borders. It knows no religion,” Sherman said. “We’re all women, and we’re all in this together.”

The spa event at the Del was a chance for the invitees to share their common bond, rejuvenate their spirits and take part in some good old-fashioned girl time.

As Sherman put it, “If we don’t take care of ourselves, then who is going to take care of everyone else in our lives?”

A Few Facts About Breast Cancer:

  • One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
  • The most significant risk factors are being a female and getting older.
  • Breast cancer typically strikes women during their most productive years, both professionally and personally.
  • Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in U.S. women ages 40-59.
  • Men can get breast cancer, too. One percent of breast cancer diagnosis will be in male patients.

Source: Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

It is recommended that women age 40 and up get a yearly mammogram. If you need a mammogram and don’t have insurance, contact the foundation at 858-573-2760.

“All you need to do is call us, and we’ll hook you up,” Sherman said. “Early detection is the best chance of survival. If it’s caught early, the chance of survival is 98 percent."


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