This November, men and women within local communities, and throughout the country, will be performing a jaw-dropping 100 squats a day - that’s a grand total of 3000 squats - in aid of breast cancer care at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital.
The Mater Breast Clinic, one of eight breast cancer centres in Ireland, diagnoses, treats and monitors one quarter of the whole country’s breast cancer patients, receiving over 8,000 referrals every year.
This year, the Mater Foundation is looking to raise €300,000 through the challenge in order to complete the vital renovation of the Mater Breast Clinic. This renovation will not only allow more patients to access services than ever before, but will also enable the Mater Breast Clinic to provide all its services under one roof.
Alongside this renovation, the funds raised by incredibly dedicated supporters will be put towards research into Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC ). TNBC makes up 10-15 percent of all breast cancers diagnosed yet there is currently no effective targeted treatment and 50 percent of patients who don’t respond to treatment are more likely to relapse within three years, in turn lessening their life expectancy to an average of 15 months.
“The 30 Day Squat Challenge is one of our biggest fundraising campaigns of the year which is targeted at a specific cause. The awareness and funds that the challenge raises enable us to make a real difference to how patients are treated in the Mater Breast Clinic as well as to hopefully discover new ways to treat the particularly aggressive Triple Negative Breast Cancer.
“This challenge is particularly important as approximately one in nine women in Ireland will be affected by breast cancer in their lifetime, as will one in 100 men. By raising awareness with all of our supporters though the 30 Day Squat Challenge, we will hopefully be able to reach breast cancer patients earlier and improve their chances of survival.
“On behalf of all at the Mater, a huge thank you goes out to all of our supporters for taking on this particularly arduous challenge. Your strength and dedication will help us to make a lifesaving difference to men and women all over Ireland,” Mary Moorhead, CEO of the Mater Foundation, remarked.
For more information or to register for 30 Day Squat Challenge go to: https://www.materfoundation.ie/event/30-day-squat-challenge-2021/
