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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — More than 270 women donated healthy breast tissue to the Komen Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center on Saturday. The two-day event is called ‘All-Star Cure’ and is a partnership between the WNBA and the center. About 500 women total are expected to donate.
“This is extremely important to me and it’s also important as a woman of color to contribute toward the research,” Cynthia Grisby, an All-Star Cure volunteer and donor, said.
Grisby was up and ready on Saturday before sunrise, helping gather samples of healthy breast tissue for the bank. It’s the only tissue bank in the world holding healthy breast tissue.
As soon as Grisby’s shift ended, she turned the tables and got ready to donate.
“This is my third donation,” Grisby said. “The first time was really special because it was with my mom, my daughter was of age, and myself, so we all donated at the same time, which was really really great and I think that may have been during Super Bowl.”
That was in 2012, when the Super Bowl came to Indianapolis and the tissue bank held the largest single-day donation event of its kind. This year, about 270 samples were taken Saturday and about 200 more are set for Sunday.
“We continue to grow,” the bank’s director, Michele Coté, said. “We try to be really responsive to the researchers’ needs.”
Coté says the samples are taken from women across all demographics and can be requested by researchers across the world trying to find a cure to breast cancer.
The tissue can be used as a baseline to help researchers detect the early cellular changes of the disease.
The donation process is simple, with seven different stations, including a blood draw and the actual procedure.
“They put just a small knick, just a small incision, so small it doesn’t need to be even closed by a stitch,” Coté said. “They insert an instrument that will use a vacuum-assisted device to remove the sample, so it’s very quick, like 20 seconds. Then they hold pressure and put little steri-strips on give you an ice pack and that’s essentially it.”
Within five minutes of taking the sample, the tissue is processed. It can be flash frozen or put in storage. Coté says every piece of the process goes toward supporting women’s health.
“We were totally humbled and thrilled to be included as a legacy event for the WNBA All Star game,” Coté said. “This has allowed us to really, you know, at least double, maybe even triple, the number of people that we have come and donate. Usually, it’s just a single-day event. So, now, you know, we’re here Saturday and Sunday and just we’ve really reached a different crowd of people too, which is also exciting.”
“I have two daughters, there are younger kids in my family, girls, and if I could set an example, and be an example by my actions, that means a lot to me,” Grisby said.
To donate on Sunday, call 317-274-2366.
Additionally, on Thursday, a Period Packing event will take place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. There are two shift times — 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. To sign up to volunteer, click here.
