July is lovingly sponsored by Tilden Bowditch Weitzman
The theme of A Calendar to Live By 2025 is cherishingly dedicated to The Heart of the Matter. All 8 women showcase their candid and inspiring stories that offers their personal journeys, along with empowering advice for young women facing a recent diagnosis. The remaining months hold space for our amazing founders, self-care, and awareness. Read on to get to know more about our remarkable ambassadors of 2025.
JULY – Meet the Co-Founders, The Original H4TG Facilitators
The H4TG story dates back to 2006, when Mary Beth Gibson and René Bowditch met at a retreat for breast cancer survivors. Facing this disease as young women opened their eyes to the gap in services to address their unique challenges and the limited resources for finding peers who “got it”– who understood the concerns, needs, and fears they faced because of their age. Together, Mary Beth and René developed a shared passion to provide support to young women like them.
They began by inviting young women with breast cancer to René’s home in Virginia to share encouragement and information. These monthly meetings blossomed in 2007 into a nonprofit they named “Beyond Boobs!” It was during those first meetings that these two developed their model of providing intimate, peer-led support in a comfortable environment. As the organization evolved, Mary Beth and René helped grow new support systems around Virginia and beyond and added program services.