We believe that every person facing breast cancer treatment deserves a Backyard Breastie™.-Bev & Brit
Live It
You become a survivor as soon as you are diagosed. Whether or not you are a survivor, know a survivor or are metatastic you can benefit from a Backyard Breastie.
Everyone on the Backyard Breastie leadership team has been there. And our goal is to recruit 35% of our volunteers from the survivor community because gardening extends lives…plus gardens are pretty.
Embrace It
The seed of the business plan started when Beverly saw the breast cancer ribbon on a bench in Britany’s backyard. Many cancer retreats and support meetings later Britany came up with the idea for Backyard Breasties™.
[Britany] A Backyard Breastie™ is a person who has been diagnosed with breast cancer but isn’t in the trenches of treatment anymore. They’re blooming into the beautiful new versions of themselves after their own cancer experiences and want to share their hope, support, wisdom, garden guidance and laughter.
They volunteer their time and skills to help with at home plant and garden needs while a new or meta Breastie undergoes their surgeries and/or treatments.
We launched in 2024 as an official California 501(c)(3) in the hopes that more gardeners can have more hope in their corner. And so both Pet Parents and fur babies can have less anxiety. (Read more)
Grow It
[Beverly] When we learned that there was a study, The Harvest for Health Initiative, that conducted a one-year study on breast cancer survivors and the benefits of gardening we knew we had found evidence for what we already knew was promoting wellness in our own lives.
We go to our gardens to find peace…but treatment made gardening extra difficult.
So what is our Big Bald Bodacious Idea? (See how we did that? You don’t need hair to be bodacious)
We hope to spread Backyard Breasties™ across California and the nation so that all survivors can experience the wellness benefits of gardening and have a deeper connection to their local community.
Treatment is stressful enough. Don’t you need help with your plants and your pets?
EVENTS
“When I started gardening, it really brought to my consciousness that this was something I could focus on. It was something I could control so that I didn’t think about cancer every day.”
