Dear Hilltown Families,

Are you nursing? Did you have your first child before 25 and are now 35 or over? Or, have you had a biopsy or are you expecting to have one?

I’ve been working with Dr. Kathleen Arcaro at UMass to recruit breastfeeding mothers to participate in two breast cancer studies, and I’m writing to see if any of you would qualify to participate. These studies are aimed at identifying molecular biomarkers for the development of breast cancer. If successful, they may lead to new means of early detection, and possibly new treatments for breast cancer.

We are looking for mothers who:

• Study #1: Had and nursed a child at the age of 25 or younger, and are now 35 or older, and are nursing
• Study #2: Have had a breast biopsy in the past, or are expecting to have one in the near future, and are nursing.

Participants will be asked to provide a milk sample and fill out a questionnaire, and will receive $25 in thanks. If you live locally the milk can be picked up at your home, at your convenience.

If you think you might qualify and are interested in participating, please contact me at motherwearblog@gmail.com. More information is at www.breastmilkresearch.org. And feel free to forward this information to anyone who might have an interest!

Thanks for your help!

Additional resources:

• breastfeeding.blog.motherwear.com
• www.valleybreastfeeding.org