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Our Mission

The purpose of the Kommah Seray Inflammatory Breast Cancer Foundation (KSIBCF) is to raise awareness of Inflammatory Breast Cancer and cancer in general, especially in minority communities. The foundation will meet the immediate needs of cancer patients by providing assistance and support for patients battling with or recovering from IBC and other forms of cancer. Additionally, the foundation will raise funds to assist research institutions in educating medical staff on how to detect and treat Inflammatory Breast Cancer. FEIN: 20-5968227 DUN#: 826180213 

 

 

Colossians 1:9-12 9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

 

Objective I:
To provide immediate assistance for patients and their families as they 
endure the expenses of battling cancer.
 
Objective II:
To raise funds to donate to cancer research and development institutions, 
specifically to assist in further IBC research.
  
Objective III:
Educate communities about IBC and cancer in general.
 
Objective IV:
To provide support groups and resources for patients, caregivers, family, 
and friends battling any form of cancer as a means for defusing confusion 
and the unknown.
 
KSIBCF began servicing clients on January 1, 2008 and since then we 
have serviced 34 clients as of September 21, 2008. The following statistics 
reflect our client base:
 
Average Age of KSIBCF Clients
43
Percentage on Medi-Cal/ County
53%
Percentage with Breast Cancer
79%
Percentage Stage 1
3%
Percentage with IBC 
9%
Percentage Stage 2
24%
 
 
Percentage with other types of cancer
 
 
21%
 
 
Percentage Stage 3
 
 
21%
Percentage with kids under 18 
35%
Percentage Stage 4
26%
Percentage Married
29%
Percentage w/o Staging
21%
Percentage Divorced/Separated 
24%
Percentage Deceased
6%
Percentage Single
41%
Percentage of Cancer Spreading
21%

 
Our Service
In the past seven months KSIBCF has provided financial assistance whenever possible 
and resources to our entire client base. We believe it is important to work with clients and 
their families through their treatment process. We understand that the word “survivor” is 
an action word and requires initiative and involvement from all parties. As we monitor our 
clients we encourage them through their process understanding that every treatment 
regimen is different. We not only provide resources for our clients, but for the rest of the 
family as well. KSIBCF has partnered with other organizations to meet the needs of the 
children of patients with cancer, spouses, caregivers, and supporters of cancer patients. 
A survivor is not only one who has survived the cancer treatment process; it also includes 
individuals who are close to cancer patients who have had to endure the process as well.
 
KSIBCF does not fund clients directly. Instead, we pay our client’s creditors on their behalf. 
This allows us to monitor the use of our funds to ensure we are using them appropriately. 
We also provide grocery gift cards to clients in need of food for their family.
 

 

In December of 2004 at the age of 28, I felt a lump in my right breast that felt like a marble.  After visiting with my doctor in January 2005, I was advised that I had a cyst that was not cancerous.  As the “cyst” continued to grow in size, it also grew to be very painful and I found myself frequently in my doctor’s office questioning the pain, lump, cyst, and discomfort that was becoming more profound.  After four months of prescribed testing and reexamining of my right breast, again, I was reassured that I only had a cyst.  However, I disagreed with my physician’s diagnosis and requested to have it removed as a precautionary measure to give me a peace of mind and reassurance for my family and future husband, as I became engaged on March 30, 2005.   On July 13, 2005, the surgeon opened my right breast and found three tumors and my lymph nodes under my right arm overflowing with cancer.  On July 15th the cancer was confirmed by the lab and on July 25th I transferred my services to the City of Hope for treatment.  During my consultation with my soon to be Surgeon and Oncologist, I was advised that I didn't’t just have breast cancer, I had Inflammatory Breast Cancer and my treatment would be very aggressive.  The initial plan was for me to have treatment biweekly for six consecutive months, which would affect my wedding date of October 29, 2005 , because it was in the middle of my chemotherapy schedule.  Fortunately, my Oncologist was sympathetic and allowed for an extra week before my scheduled treatment and I was able to get married, bald head and all.   After only four months of intensive chemotherapy my surgeon and oncologist agreed that the tumors had shrunk enough and could be removed.  On December 27, 2005 , I had a mastectomy where my right breast and most of my lymph nodes in my right underarm were removed.  On January 3, 2006 , I was advised that the chemotherapy was very effective and it did not appear that the cancer spread within my body.  As a result of the mastectomy, I lost 90 percent mobility in my right arm, subsequently, in February 2006, I began physical therapy to regain movement. Simultaneously, I underwent radiation therapy as a precautionary measure incase the cancer metastasis.   Then, in July 2006, two lumps formed in my left breast, however not cancerous at the time.  For months my surgeon watched these lumps and they were growing slowly.  As an IBC patient, my surgeon and I agreed that a mastectomy of the left breast was necessary because the two lumps were very suspicious and the statistics for a reoccurrence were not in my favor.  Thus, we arranged to have a skin spearing mastectomy and reconstructive surgery of both breast at the same time.  On July 2, 2007 , I underwent a 16 hour surgery where the tissue in my left breast was removed and both breast were reconstructed with the tissue, some muscles and blood vessels from my stomach.  With few complications, I am proud to say that I have recovered from that surgery very well.  Then on December 17, 2007, I had what would be my last surgery, the second phase of the reconstruction.  It was at that point that my husband and I agreed enough is enough.  I felt bless to have breast, no matter what they looked like. Although this journey has been challenging along the way I am proud to say that we are now expecting a child and we are so blessed.   I thank God for the large prayer team I had working with me during this journey.  I know the Lord has a plan for my life and this journey was just a way for me to show Him how much I trust Him with my life and how it is so important that we as Christians “trust in the Lord with all [our] heart[s] and lean not to [our] own understanding.” Prov. 3:5 Because of my experience with IBC and resources I have gained along the way, I was inspired to start a foundation that would help fund research, educate physicians, and support IBC patients: emotionally, physically, and financially.  Timing is critical for IBC victims and according to my research, funding to further the research on IBC is urgently needed.  In addition, the proper treatment of IBC is critical to a person’s survival rate, however, often times IBC is mistaken for a rash and misdiagnosed. The Kommah Seray Inflammatory Breast Cancer Foundation is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that seeks to meet the challenges of IBC, while becoming a breath of fresh air for IBC patients.  Our goal is to raise awareness of IBC, especially in minority communities, and collaborate with other cancer foundations for the advancement of IBC research.

  Hello, my name is Kommah Seray McDowell and I am a walking miracle.

 

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In the News

T.V. (3 Part Series)

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Articles

November 2008 - KPSP Local 2 (CBS)- Part I

November 2008 - KPSP Local 2 (CBS)- Part II

Newsletters

October 2008 - City of Hope: Hope CONNECTION

July 2008 - Patient Advocate News (pg 5)

May 2008 - Vertical Fix

May 2008 - Strategically Design Your Life: The Newsletter by Robin De-Ivy Allen

Partnerships & Resources