This year METAvivor collaborated with Cancer Culture, a nonprofit organization that produces transformative events for people living with breast cancer, to raise and donate money toward metastatic breast cancer research.
Over 200 people attended this year’s METAvivor Met Gala on Saturday at Porsche Santa Clarita. Eva Miranda-Crawford, METAvivor thriver event chair, said that this year’s Met Gala was a huge success.
“Every year we like to give about $100,000 to research because that seems to be a good number to be able to get a study off the ground,” said Crawford.
Crawford said that this year they were able to raise about $130,000 and are still currently raising money.
At the event, Crawford said she only spoke for a few minutes because she wanted to give the speakers a chance to speak after being able to tell her own story for six years.
Crawford is a mother of three and was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2018. Metastatic breast cancer is a form of cancer that spreads from the breast to other parts of the body.
This year, Crawford introduced Dr. Mediget Teshome, head of UCLA’s Surgical Oncology, and Allison Lohmann, the daughter of Crawford’s late friend Amy Steffe Lohmann who died in August 2023.
UCLA Health had doctors “paint a picture” of what metastatic breast cancer is and how UCLA is helping patients live longer.
“What they do is they support patients in so many ways, through their treatments, their infusions, they have mental health support, and they also are the people that create medicines,” said Crawford. “The particular medicine that I’m on came from UCLA and has kept me alive for six years.”
Lohmann spoke about what it was like to be a teenager who lost her mom.
“She wished her mom was here,” said Crawford. “Her mom was just here a year ago, and she just misses her. She draws strength in the fact that her mom was such an inspiration and somebody that really wanted change for this disease and an advocate. She drew strength from her mom to even be able to get out there and speak in front of 200-plus people.”
Beth Love, president of Cancer Culture, spoke about where the funds will be going. Crawford said that when you donate to METAvivor 100% of the net proceeds are donated to research.
A peer-review team connects with medical teams that are creating drugs specifically for metastatic breast cancer patients and presents them to Crawford. From there, Crawford said she selects her top three and the peer-review team selects a finalist to donate the money to.
“Every single dollar is going straight to the research for more medications to allow cancer patients to have another birthday, another year, and tack on the time that we’re able to survive by getting more medications, because when the medications run out, that’s when our lifespan runs out, and that’s what we need,” said Crawford.
Crawford added that hopefully one day being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer does not need to be a death sentence. With the help of UCLA and raising money for research, they are getting closer and closer to a solution.
“We’re getting closer and closer to that day coming when the word cancer or metastatic breast cancer doesn’t have to mean that your life’s going to be shortened,” said Crawford.
