Leading tissue bank joins global campaign for breast reconstruction

EDISON, N.J., Aug. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF) today announced its partnership with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and the Plastic Surgery Foundation (The PSF) in support of the first national Breast Reconstruction Awareness (BRA) Day USA on October 17, 2012. As a sponsor, MTF, the nation's leading tissue bank, joins the world's largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons, and BRA Day national spokesperson Jewel, in a campaign to support breast cancer survivors' right to be informed and to choose whether breast reconstruction following mastectomy is right for them.

Research shows that 7 out of 10 women diagnosed with breast cancer are not informed of their reconstructive options: in order to address this critical issue, the U.S. and 20 other countries will join together for BRA Day on October 17. BRA Day USA is an initiative designed to promote education, awareness and access regarding breast reconstruction following breast cancer surgery. MTF and over twenty of its tissue recovery partners are joining this collaborative effort with the ASPS and The PSF.

Over the next two years singer/songwriter, New York Times bestselling author and humanitarian Jewel will serve as the national spokesperson, advocating on behalf of BRA Day USA through media appearances, public service announcements, a dedicated BRA Day USA song and benefit concert event. The MTF sponsorship provides important support for many of these awareness efforts.

"We are pleased to be a major national contributor to BRA Day USA," noted Martha Anderson, MTF executive vice president.  "At MTF we have been providing tissue grafts for transplant for 25 years and we understand the impact that reconstructive surgery can have on people's lives. Honoring both the tissue donor and the recipient is part of our mission at MTF and this initiative reinforces our mission."

"MTF and our recovery partners applaud this campaign to better educate those women who are faced with difficult decisions about their breast reconstruction options following mastectomy. BRA Day will help women make more informed choices and we are proud to be part of that effort."

Please visit BRADayUSA.org, Facebook.com/BreastReconAwareness and Twitter@BRADayUSA for more information about BRA Day USA events, the Jewel concert, the BRA Day USA song, charity and corporate partnerships, and more.

About MTF:

The Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (www.MTF.org), the nation's leading tissue bank, changes lives by connecting donors and transplant recipients. As a non-profit service organization, MTF is dedicated to providing quality tissue through a commitment to excellence in education, research, recovery and care for recipients, donors and their families. Since our inception in 1987, MTF has received tissue from more than 90,000 donors and distributed more than 5 million grafts for transplantation, including FlexHD, an acellular dermal matrix that is used in breast reconstruction.

For information:
Cindy Gordon, Insight Communication
609/252-1300 or [email protected]

SOURCE Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation