NEW YORK - Evelyn Lauder is tickled pink with the success of the breast cancer-awareness initiative she launched 12 years ago. It began with distributing breast exam instruction cards and little pink ribbons at cosmetic counters at department stores.
More than 45-million pink ribbons and even more educational brochures have since been handed out around the globe. Lauder smiles as she declares the symbol ubiquitous and points out that the educational brochures are now in the hands of women who need them.
"There has been an explosion of information, and we're eliminating the fear factor for women," she says.
She ticks off the tangible results:
* More women are getting mammograms.
* More insurance companies are paying for breast-cancer screening.
* Improved equipment has increased the clarity of images from mammograms and the accuracy of radiologists' readings. A new technique, called stereotactic biopsy, performed with a slim, hollow needle is an important tool in early detection - and it doesn't leave a scar, says Lauder.
Her upbeat assessment, however, doesn't mean she's satisfied. She says the treatment for breast cancer can still be too draining and painful, both emotionally and physically, and that too many women - almost 40,000 in the United States last year - still die.
Lauder has become the matriarch of cosmetic giant Estee Lauder Cos. As the wife of company chairman Leonard and mother of chief executive officer William, Lauder became the female face of the company when her mother-in-law, Estee, dropped out of the public eye about a decade ago. (Estee Lauder died in April 2004.)
Evelyn Lauder's official title at the company is senior corporate vice president, overseeing trend analysis and fragrance development, but it's the breast cancer work that she's truly passionate about.
In addition to her company-related efforts, which include developing fund-raising products and recruiting fashion-world friends to do the same, Lauder initiated a fund-drive that raised more than $18-million to build the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, the first breast diagnostic center.
