About Us
Mission Statement:
Are You Dense is dedicated to informing the public about dense breast tissue and its significance in the early detection of breast cancer.
- Our Goals Are To:
- EDUCATE THE PUBLIC about dense breast tissue and the early detection of breast cancer by raising awareness through a web site, media, speaking engagements, informational materials;
- IMPROVE THE CONDITION of women diagnosed with breast cancer by raising awareness about the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of living with the disease;
- ADVOCATE CHANGES TO PUBLIC POLICY and breast cancer detection guidelines; and
- SUPPORT NEW AND EXISTING RESEARCH in the early detection of breast cancer for women with dense breast tissue.
Please browse the website further to learn about dense breast tissue, use the available resources, read and share stories and consider making a donation to help expose this BEST-KEPT SECRET about the limitations of mammography alone to detect cancer in women with dense breast tissue.
Are You Dense, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity. IRS Tax ID 26-3643216. All donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
Meet the Are You Dense, Inc. Board of Directors
President
Nancy M. Cappello, Ph.D. is founder of Are You Dense, Inc. which was borne out of her own tragedy of an advanced stage breast cancer diagnosis in 2004. Her cancer, because of dense breast tissue, was not found by mammogram even though she had yearly "normal" mammograms since she was 40. In addition to her breast cancer advocacy, Dr. Cappello spent 34 years in public education as a teacher, an administrator and a state department consultant and manager. She received her doctor of philosophy in Educational Administration and Leadership in 1995 from the University of Connecticut. She operates her own education consulting business.
Vice-President
Ramona Harrison, MBA, has worked in the field of Human Resources/Organization Development for 15 years. She has a unique background and education in Engineering, Quality and Business including experience in global multinationals (GE and Ingersoll Rand), and small high growth public and private firms. She has start-up experience in high tech and manufacturing and is a change leader who has delivered creative solutions that align people and business strategy. She has a passion for International HR Management, Organization Development, Acquisitions and Divestitures, Talent Acquisition and Retention, Training and Development and Compensation and Benefits Design. Ramona became interested in participating on the Board of Directors after a long history with Nancy and Joe Cappello through her parents. Ramona and Nancy built their own personal relationship over the past 5 years through regular biking challenges increasing their total mileage each season and discussing opportunities to grow Are You Dense!
Secretary
Catherine Bauer is a breast cancer survivor, diagnosed in 2001, who has had "negative" mammograms for years, then found a lump in her breast while doing a self examination. Her commitment to patient advocacy comes after years of speaking of her own breast cancer history to support groups and at fund raisers for breast cancer treatment and research. After spending 25 years in healthcare administration and education, Catherine's passion is advocating for others who may benefit from her personal as well as her business expertise.
Treasurer
Rita Guerrera, MBA, has been an accountant and financial analyst for twelve years in the Manufacturing, Aerospace and Banking industries. She lives in Prospect, CT with her husband and two children. She lost her aunt in 1975 and mother in 2004 to breast cancer. After her 2005 breast cancer diagnosis, she decided to have a double mastectomy against her doctor's recommendation. This resulted in finding another cancer in the same breast. She was able to make this informed decision because she requested a copy of the mammography and hospital pathology reports that her doctor received. Due to her experience, she believes the key to breast cancer survival is education and awareness.
Director
Carol Hamill Costabile RN, MSN has been an instructor for a Practical Nursing (PN) Program for the past 8 years. She has taught in both classroom and clinical for various levels of PN students. In her 26 years of nursing she has practiced in a variety of settings including acute care, public health and administration. She was inspired after seeing Nancy as a guest speaker to make contact with her and become involved with this worthwhile cause.
Director
Marie Salazar Glowski who is currently the English Language Learner - Bilingual Consultant at the CT State Department of Education worked with Nancy Cappello. Nancy shared her story with Marie, and it was the first time she had heard anything about dense breast tissue. As a mother of three girls and grandmother of 3 girls, she felt that this was a message that had to get out. She is Mexican-American and bilingual and is particularly concerned that the Latino-Hispanic population is one of the last to get this information. She is committed to ensure that translations become available and is very interested in introducing the work that has been done in Connecticut nationally and particularly in the Southwest and urban centers throughout the US.
