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Union County Joins #LightUpMBC for Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness and Funding

 Union County, NJ – The Freeholder Board is pleased to announce that Union County is participating in the #LightUpMBC campaign to raise awareness about stage IV metastatic breast cancer. On Tuesday afternoon, October 13, and throughout the month of October, the County Administration Building will display lights in pink, teal and green to help advocate for the campaign. The #LightUpMBC campaign is a project of the Moore Fight Moore Strong initiative with the nonprofit research and support organization METAvivor.

Stage IV MBC is an incurable form of breast cancer that is estimated to kill over 42,000 Americans this year.

“The Freeholder Board is proud to support the #LightUpMBC campaign, by providing the Administration Building to serve as one of the campaign’s 115 landmarks in all 50 states and around the world,” said Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella. “With this display, we reaffirm our support for the efforts to prevent and treat breast cancer, and our support for the #LightUpMBC message of renewal, hope, and healing represented by the colors pink, green, and teal.”

October 13 is National Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day, recognized by the New Jersey State Senate and several local governments through the state. Laura Inahara, Executive Director of Moore Fight Moore Strong, explains, “The 115 landmarks that will illuminate this year represent the 115 lives lost every day to MBC in the U.S.  We hope that #LightUpMBC will not only spread awareness and raise funds, but also inspire people to truly want to make a difference for people living with MBC.”

All of the landmarks can be viewed across the globe via the #LightUpMBC Live virtual benefit at 8pm EST on October 13th through @METAvivor Facebook Live and www.metavivor.org.  Musical performers include John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls and David Bryan of Bon Jovi, who is also a Tony Award winner.

#LightUpMBC Social Media Challenge has been established and those wishing to participate are asked to answer the question:  Who lights up your life?  and publicly share a photo and/or story of someone who inspires them by posting on their social media channels with the donation link www.metavivor.org/LightUpMBC  and the hashtags #LightUpMBC #METAvivor.  By nominating friends to participate, you can help raise funds for MBC research. 

Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is stage 4 breast cancer, for which there is no cure. Over 627,000 people die each year globally from MBC, with over 42,000 dying each year in the U.S. alone (115 per day).  Metastatic breast cancer spreads mostly to the bones, liver, lungs and the brain, causing MBC patients to be in treatment for the rest of their lives – with only 22% of U.S. MBC patients living longer than 5 years. 20-30% of early stage breast cancers recur as stage 4 MBC. 98% of all breast cancer related deaths are from MBC, yet less than 5% of overall breast cancer funding is currently allocated to researching metastatic breast cancer.

For more information on METAvivor and to donate, visit www.metavivor.org/lightupmbc and follow on @METAvivor on Facebook at www.facebook.com/metavivor and Instagram @metavivor

For more information on Moore Fight Moore Strong, visit www.MooreFightMooreStrong.com and follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MooreFightMooreStrong  and Instagram @moorefightmoorestrong

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