When Unite for HER founder Sue Weldon was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, she began searching for information on therapies that would complement the medical treatments she was receiving. What she discovered was a lack of easily accessible resources on topics like nutrition, acupuncture, massage, yoga, counseling and other ways for breast cancer patients to enhance their wellness and care for their emotional, spiritual, and physical needs.
Since its establishment as a nonprofit organization in 2009, Unite for HER’s cornerstone has been to bridge that gap for breast cancer patients, focusing on wellness initiatives that will positively impact their health, as well as the health of all women and girls.
Our Mission
Our mission is to enrich the health and well-being of those diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancers – for life – by funding and delivering integrative therapies.
Our Guiding Principles
- Compassion: We seek to better understand the experiences of those we serve, which informs our hands-on delivery of love and care in meaningful and considerate ways.
- Community: We offer a new and supportive community to help all regain confidence and control.
- Empowerment: We are mindful of the emotional and physical journey of those we serve, and we provide education, services, and tools that help them grow and feel stronger.
- Inclusion: We are dedicated to building an inclusive community that is bound by a commitment to meet the needs of all who are diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancers.
- Partnership: We take great pride in forming lasting, trusted relationships that are meaningful to our mission and to those we serve.
- Trust: We put the needs of those we serve first in all that we do, and we carefully steward our resources to ensure the highest standards of service and care.
Our Vision
Every person with breast and ovarian cancers will feel the support of a loving community, and will have access to comprehensive education, services, and tools that enrich their health and well-being.
Staff
When Sue’s treatments were finished, she was told that she was cancer-free. Despite this wonderful news, she hardly recognized the woman she saw in the mirror, a shell of her former vibrant self. Determined to regain some control of her health, Sue discovered that an abundance of research had shown that integrating complementary therapy with mainstream medicine could significantly improve patient well-being during treatment and beyond. She began incorporating acupuncture, massage, yoga, exercise, and nutrition into her recovery plan, and experienced significant reduction in pain, an increase in her energy, and improvement in her overall wellness. She learned that the astounding benefits of complementary therapies are widely accepted within the medical community, but since the treatments generally are not covered by insurance, most patients do not have access to or even know about them. Sue recognized that very few breast cancer patients in active treatment and/or recovery have both the time and the energy to do the research and the financial means to commit to the treatments.
Fueled by the powerful impact that complementary therapies had on her, in 2009, Sue founded Unite for HER (Helping to Empower and Restore) to bridge this gap between the medical and wellness communities and bring complementary therapies to all breast cancer patients, regardless of income. In just over eight years, what started as a small program at Paoli Hospital, has grown to a partnership with 22 hospitals that has served more than 3,500 breast cancer patients in the Philadelphia region. Sue is a respected leader in the community and an effective proponent of integrating traditional and holistic modalities to provide a comprehensive plan to treat the whole woman.
Sue has received numerous awards for her impact on the breast cancer community. She was awarded the “Norma E. Ciccarone Award of Hope” by ‘Cuddle My Kids’ in 2011, was named a Top 23 Power Women Local Game Changers by Main Line Today in 2013, as well as one of the Top 20 Philanthropists Who Care in Main Line Today, April 2016. Last November, she had the honor of being named the 2016 Health Hero by Philadelphia magazine for her work as a wellness advocate, and also received the 2016 award for “Community Breast Cancer Foundation of the Year” from Breast Cancer Wellness magazine.
Sue is a guest speaker at various events throughout the area, inspiring both men and women with her compelling survivorship story and healthy lifestyle tips. Prior to founding UFH, Sue spent 25 years as a coach at AJS Pancott Gymnastics National Training Center, and has served as a Junior Olympic National Team coach. She is a graduate of West Chester University with a degree in Communication which she used in her career in advertising sales for 10 years. Sue and her husband Chip have three children and reside in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Advisors
Our team of professional advisors provides expertise in their field and enables us to develop programs and initiatives that are built upon experience, cutting-edge information and practical wisdom.
Learn More
Board of Directors
Amy holds a B.S. Degree from Villanova University and an M.B.A. from St. Joseph’s University with a concentration in Healthcare Administration. Amy is a breast cancer survivor and an advocate for those affected by this disease. Amy and her husband Frank live in Glen Mills with their twins, Abby & Matthew.
from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She is active in the community, serving on several boards and committees. She is a breast cancer survivor. She resides in Malvern, Pennsylvania, with her husband and 3 children.
In addition to producing her own digital morning talk show, Rumer has recently launched the THIS IS IT NETWORK, where she produces additional online programs highlighting captivating hosts and their businesses. This global, interactive, digital TV network connects remarkable women to inspiring stories. Each episode aims to engage, entertain and educate her growing THIS IS IT TV community.
As a marketing expert, Rumer has developed a result-driven yet cost-effective online marketing course and instructional program called SCREAM YOUR DREAM. This digital, hands-on, educational tool supports the needs of small business owners, entrepreneurs and independent sales professionals who are looking to take their personal brand and marketing efforts to the next level while achieving their realistic and measurable on-going business goals.
As a working mom of two wonderful children, Rumer works to inspire female entrepreneurs to no longer whisper their wishes but to in fact – scream their dreams. Rumer’s upcoming book, SCREAM YOUR DREAM is expected out in FALL 2020. This book will allow Rumer’s audience to bring her message home and turn their dreams into reality.
Director, Hanjani Institute for Gynecologic Oncology Deputy Director, Asplundh Cancer Pavilion and Oncology Service Line Leader
Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University Abington Health Physicians
Mark Shahram Shahin, MD, graduated Summa Cum Laude at Syracuse University where he was a member of the National Engineering Honor Society. While at Syracuse University, Dr. Shahin received distinct awards, including the George M. Berry Award for Best All-Around Senior and Bioengineering
Award for Outstanding Achievement by a senior. After earning his medical degree, Dr. Shahin completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology where he continued to receive awards and honors such as Outstanding Obstetrics and Gynecology Resident and Outstanding Northwestern Resident Teacher Award. He completed two fellowships in advanced gynecologic surgery and gynecologic oncology at the University of Iowa Hospitals and clinics. During this time his research focused on p53 genetic mutations in ovarian malignancies as well as phase II and III p53 gene replacement therapy in ovarian cancer. He was recently appointed chief of the Hanjani Institute for Gynecologic Oncology.
The Hanjani Institute for Gynecologic Oncology offers the expertise of a teaching and clinical research institution and the personal involvement and accessibility of a community hospital. The gynecologic oncology program at Abington Hospital is highly ranked among 49 full members of the Gynecologic Oncology Group in terms of number of patients treated and quality of research data.
Dr. Shahin has published several manuscripts on treatments of gynecologic cancers. He has made multiple appearances and presentations on a local and national level. He serves as the co- principal investigator for gynecologic oncology group clinical trials. He is a fellow of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and American College of surgeons. He is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Gynecologic Oncology. He is appointed as the associate director of Obstetrics and Gynecology residency program at Abington since 2006. He is an active member of Society of Gynecologic Oncology and American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Development Committee
Parker Carroll – Co Chair
Amy Gallo- Co Chair
Connie Fogarty
Basil Joy
Sarah Nurry
Betty Clarke
Beth Darcy
Roseann Deluca
Terri Crudup
Kera Tartaglia
Colleen Connor
James Drohan
Lea Burke
Erin Keyser
Maureen Shapiro
Nicole Moffa
Kelly Neri
Nancy Franks
Chanel Baxter
Michele Pelkowski
Mary Thompson
Laura Derricho
Advisory Committee for African American Community
Latrice Mumin, EDD, MBA
Adesewa (Sewa) K. Egunsola
Chanel Baxter
Armenta Washington, M.S
Judge Tonya Butler
Dorraine Holbert
Cheldin Barlatt Rumer
Media
- Chester County police officers raise $50,000 for four local charities – Daily Local – November 2020
- Meet the Women Reinventing Local Cancer Support Organization – Main Line Today – October 2020
- Breast cancer patients to receive self-care boxes from Independence Blue Cross, Unite for HER – April 2020
- PA Convention Center Supports Unite for HER with a Pink Gymnastics Invitational – NBC10 – March 2020
- GlobalFit Anywhere Charity Ride For Unite For HER At Revel Ride- CBS3 Philly- February 2020
- Pink Invitational will feature over 4,000 gymnasts for a good cause! Fox29 – February 2020
- Simms/Mann Partners with Sparks to Distribute Care Boxes to Patients with Breast Cancer – January 2020
- Unite for HER Receives Donation – January 2020
- CBS3 – Independence Blue Cross to send ‘HER care box’ to Local Medicare Advantage Members – October 2019
- PBS39 – Second Annual Rock the Runway Benefits Local Nonprofit Unite for HER – October 2019
- The Reporter – Eat & Drink Harvest Feature – October 2019
- What to Expect at Women in Events Week – Event Marketer October 2019
- Main Line Today – These Local Nonprofits are Serving Women with Metastatic Breast Cancer – October 2019
- Philadelphia Inquirer – How can doctors heal the emotional trauma of having cancer? | Patient perspective – September 2019
- CBS 3 – HER care box featured on Eyewitness News – April 2019
- NBC10 – HER care box feature – April 2019
- IBX, Unite for HER sending care packages to breast cancer patients – Philly Voice – April 2019
- Independence Blue Cross partners with Unite for HER – The Philadelphia Tribune – April 2019
- Independence teams up with Unite for HER to support Medicare Advantage members with breast cancer
- Breast cancer patients to receive self-care boxes from Independence Blue Cross, Unite for HER – Daily Local – April 2019
- Breast cancer patients to receive self-care boxes from Independence Blue Cross, Unite for HER – The Mercury – April 2019
- Pink Invitational on MyPHL17
- Pink Invitational in Philadelphia Weekly
- Philadelphia Modern Luxury Magazine: 2019 Charity Social Datebook
- Unite for HER – Fig Giving Guide – December 2018
- St. Katharine Drexel School raises $1,300 for breast cancer support group – December 2018
- “No Shave” November raises $14K for 2 charities” – Daily Local – December 2018
- “WWE & WFC Are United for HER” – October 2018
- HER care box featured in Philadelphia Style Magazine – October 2018
- East Norriton Township Stands Unite(d) for HER – October 2018
- HER care box featured in Fig West Chester – September 2018
- Unite for HER featured in Fig West Chester – June 2018
- Lancaster Farmacy and Unite for HER featured in Philadelphia Style Magazine – March 2018
- Unite for HER featured in Fig West Chester – March 2018
- Pink Invitational featured in International Gymnast Magazine – January/February 2018
- “Willistown police officers grow beards for a good cause” – Daily Local – December 2017
- Natural Awakenings – 5/17 (page 16)
- Breast Cancer Wellness Award – 1/17 (page 30)
- Acure Organics Supports Unite for HER/Pink Invitational – 12/16
- Philly.com Interview with Sue Weldon – 12/16
- Sue Weldon Named 2016 Philadelphia Health Hero – 11/16
- View Sue Weldon’s Health Hero Story
- Philly Biz Article – UFH, Achieving True Wellness
- NBC 10 Interview – 10/16
- Sue Weldon’s Interview with Cherri Gregg on KYW Newsradio – 10/16
- Meet a Health Hero: Sue Weldon
- My Area Yoga: Philly – UFH Selfless Service
- Harvest – The Town Dish Article – October 2015
- Family Circle Article – October 2011