Milwaukee, WI & Boston, MA – (September 4, 2025) – ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Ellie Fund are excited to announce an integrated collaboration that will connect breast cancer patients in Massachusetts to all-encompassing support that pairs essential, practical services with personalized, one-to-one emotional support.
The strategic alliance between the two leading breast cancer support organizations will provide direct access to ABCD’s free, virtual, and customized peer support to the 2,000 patients Ellie Fund is poised to serve throughout Massachusetts in 2025. In addition, ABCD will refer patients who are receiving treatment in Massachusetts to Ellie Fund for its critical support services including nutritional and grocery assistance, transportation to medical appointments, childcare, housekeeping, and prepared/delivered meals, all free of charge. Ellie Fund measures the impact of its services on patient quality of life via surveys administered before and after receiving services. Since launching the survey program in 2019, Ellie Fund has consistently shown reduction of stress and improved life experiences for hundreds of patients across 13 metrics.
Research shows one in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, with a startling rising trend of breast cancer diagnoses in younger women, particularly in women under 50. A staggering 6,000 – 7,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in Massachusetts, home to Ellie Fund. Additional research shows that peer support significantly reduces mental distress, including feelings of depression, anxiety, and isolation, while increasing resilience among cancer survivors.
As a fully virtual international organization, ABCD offers free, customized one-to-one emotional support to patients, survivors, people living with metastatic disease, people at high risk of developing breast cancer, and caregivers. Patients who participate are paired with a trained, volunteer ABCD Mentor — based on diagnosis, treatment, and life stage — who can provide a safe space and offer understanding and compassion.
“ABCD is proud and honored to work with Ellie Fund to bring this complete circle of support to breast cancer patients and families throughout Massachusetts. The way our missions align makes this a natural and deeply meaningful collaboration, one that will allow us to reach more people and make a greater impact together,” said ABCD Executive Director Ellen Friebert Schupper.
By joining forces, ABCD and Ellie Fund will ensure patients in Massachusetts have access to both the practical services and emotional connection they need to navigate diagnosis, treatment, and beyond.
“Ellie Fund is incredibly excited to partner with ABCD to help provide this critical, additional layer of support to the breast cancer patients that we serve. Breast cancer not only presents a potentially life-threatening physical illness but also puts a strain on one’s mental and emotional wellbeing. This collaboration allows Ellie Fund to strengthen its comprehensive wrap-around services to patients and also allows ABCD Participants in Massachusetts to access our services,” said Ellie Fund Executive Director Meredith Mendelson.
About ABCD
Founded in 1999 in Milwaukee, WI by the late Emmy award-winning journalist Melodie Wilson Oldenburg, ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis is a non-profit organization that inspires hope and transforms lives by providing FREE, personalized emotional support to anyone impacted by breast cancer, anywhere, at any stage. As a complement to medical care, ABCD matches people with a trained volunteer Mentor who has a similar lived experience, providing compassionate support based on diagnosis, treatment, age, and lifestyle. With a fully virtual platform, ABCD helps people worldwide, ensuring no one faces breast cancer alone. Now in its 26th year, ABCD has supported more than 111,000 people nationwide and beyond through one-to-one connections rooted in shared experiences. For more information, visit ABCDBreastCancerSupport.org or call 1-800-977-4121.
About Ellie Fund
Now in its 30th year, Ellie Fund is a Massachusetts-based 501(c) 3 non-profit organization whose mission is to provide essential support services for breast cancer patients to ease the stresses of everyday life, allowing the focus to be on family, recovery, and healing. Providing critical support services including nutritional and grocery assistance, transportation to medical appointments, childcare, housekeeping, and prepared/delivered meals free of charge helps to relieve a patient’s burden while in treatment and addresses the social determinants of health which prevent many women from starting/finishing their prescribed lifesaving treatment for breast cancer. For more information on the Ellie Fund and the services they provide, please visit www.elliefund.org.
