By Tom Kirvan
Legal News
Cynthia Brazzil, and other attorneys at the Kemp Klein Law Firm in Troy, will be sporting a “little pink” on October 13.
It’s a color, of course, that has become emblematic of research efforts to cure breast cancer, a disease that Brazzil became acutely aware of on a day that should have been cause for celebration, New Year’s Eve 2003.
It was then that Brazzil, an attorney specializing in elder law and business and estate planning, was diagnosed with breast cancer following a mammogram. The diagnosis, which led to two surgical procedures and a full series of radiation treatments, came nearly two years after her sister underwent a mastectomy to curb the spread of the sometimes fatal disease.
Brazzil, who has been honored repeatedly by the Oakland County Bar Association for her professional and community involvement, is spearheading a “networking event with a fund-raising twist” on Thursday, Oct. 13, at the Troy office of Kemp Klein. The reception, scheduled from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in Suite 190 of the Columbia Center, 201 West Big Beaver Rd., will feature wine, hors d’oeuvres, and a brief presentation by Molly MacDonald, a breast cancer survivor and founder of The Pink Fund. The nonprofit organization provides “temporary financial assistance to women and men battling breast cancer,” according to Brazzil. The cost to attend the reception is free, although donations to The Pink Fund will be appreciated, Brazzil said.
“Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we wanted to do something that supports work in that area,” Brazzil said of the October 13 fund-raiser. “The Pink Fund was specifically founded to help those breast cancer patients who are in financial need.
“Speaking first-hand, psychologically it was very traumatic to get the breast cancer diagnosis,” said Brazzil, a Wayne State University Law School grad who earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1981. “It would have been overwhelming at the time to also have faced the prospect of not being able to afford the medical care that I needed. This is where an organization like The Pink Fund can step in to help.”
MacDonald, diagnosed with cancer six years ago, calls herself a “SurThrivor,” a term she coined to “embody a breast cancer survivor who thrives in her recovery.” The Pink Fund she created earmarks donations to offset the cost of medical care for breast cancer victims, regardless of gender.
Brazzil, a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the OCBA in 2006, said that the October 13 reception also will feature some items that a knitting club from Kemp Klein has contributed to the cause.
“We wanted to involve our staff as much as possible in the event and this was a very nice way for them to help out,” Brazzil said.
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