Story by Rachel Gittleman. Photos by Michelle Rodriguez.
On Saturday, June 22, around 70 people joined an amazing group of women to help them celebrate the one-year anniversary of En La Lucha A Sobrevivir (In the Fight to Survive), or ELLAS, a program started by The Resurrection Project. The event, which took place at the La Casa Resource Center, lasted well into the evening and was filled with food, music, and inspiring stories.
ELLAS provides its members—Latina women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer—with support and resources, but also an opportunity to educate others throughout Chicago about breast cancer prevention. Breast cancer affects 125 out of 100,000 women in Illinois each year. Although Latinos are not the most affected demographic, Latinas suffering from breast cancer have the highest mortality rate because of a lack of insurance or an inability to find proper treatment.
ELLAS was founded a year ago when four women and TRP Health Coordinator Araceli Lucio recognized a need for a group that could identify with the specific culture of the Latino community. The group’s original mission was to create a space for Latina women with breast cancer to receive moral support and information on medical resources necessary for their recovery and their return to normal life.
“The women we work with,” says Araceli Lucio, “often think they are alone and have no one to turn to for help. So we started ELLAS to help them find the resources they need.”
One year later, the group continues to meet once a month for craft projects, cooking, or trainings presented by the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, and other organizations. Members also present their personal testimonials to their communities, churches, and neighborhoods. They educate women about breast cancer screenings and prevention by sharing their own experiences, and by using key chains to illustrate early cancer detection. The key chains, which the group make themselves, have four different sized beads to illustrate a tumor’s size and feel, and to help educate women about self breast exams. In addition, the group helps other diagnosed women navigate through the health system, connect with doctors, and find any other resources they might need.
There are now more than 25 women from throughout Chicago who participate in the group’s regular meetings and who worked together to make this celebration possible.
The one-year anniversary celebration was a time to relish in the success of the past year and raise funds for the future. The women made a variety of crafts—bracelets, earrings, scarves, blankets, and other accessories—to sell at the event, raising over $400. In addition, the attendees enjoyed food donated by local restaurants and cooked by the members of ELLAS. Members shared success stories, a live band played, and many people got up to dance. All of the proceeds from the event will go directly to continuing programming for the group, growing its membership, and providing more women with educational workshops.
To learn more about ELLAS, including how to join or donate to the group, please contact Araceli Lucio, TRP Health Advocate, at [email protected] or (312)-880-2066.

Return to Nueva Vida August 2013 here.