Our Mission
The mission of Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization is to ensure, through information, empowerment, and peer support, that no one faces breast cancer alone.
Y-ME does not raise money for research. We exist for the person who needs help today — the one who has just received a diagnosis, the partner who doesn’t know how to help, the survivor navigating life after treatment. We are here for those who cannot wait for tomorrow’s cure.
Our Story
Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization was founded in 1978 around a kitchen table by two breast cancer patients — Ann Marcou and Mimi Kaplan — who believed no one should have to face this disease without support, information, or someone who truly understood what they were going through.
From those humble beginnings, Y-ME grew into one of the most recognized breast cancer support organizations in the United States. Over the following decades, Y-ME helped revolutionize the way breast cancer patients access information and make decisions about their own healthcare — establishing a model of peer-to-peer support that remains at the heart of everything we do.
At the center of the organization is the Y-ME National Breast Cancer Hotline — the only 24-hour, 7-days-a-week call center in the country staffed entirely by trained peer counselors who are themselves breast cancer survivors. Y-ME counselors do not provide medical advice, but they offer something equally important: emotional support, lived experience, and accurate information about diagnosis, procedures, and treatment options. Hotline calls are interpreted in over 150 languages.
Y-ME has earned four stars from Charity Navigator — its highest rating — for sound fiscal management, and meets all 41 Standards of Excellence established by the National Health Council, covering governance, programs, finance, fundraising, accounting, reporting, and evaluation.
Programs & Services
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, Y-ME and its network of affiliates provide information and support to anyone touched by breast cancer. As originally envisioned by our founders, all programs and services are provided completely free of charge.
24-Hour National Breast Cancer Hotline
Call 1-800-221-2141 (English) or 1-800-986-9505 (Spanish) any time, day or night. This is the only national breast cancer hotline staffed entirely by trained peer counselors who are breast cancer survivors. Calls are interpreted in over 150 languages. Counselors provide emotional support and information — not medical advice — and are available every hour of every day without exception.
Survivor Match Program
You do not have to navigate your diagnosis alone. Through the Survivor Match Program, you can be paired with a peer counselor who shares your diagnosis, is close to your age, or has faced similar challenges — someone who genuinely understands your experience because they have lived it.
Partner Match Program
Breast cancer affects entire families. The Partner Match Program provides support and education for spouses, partners, and loved ones who are helping someone through the disease — offering guidance on how to listen, how to help, and how to take care of themselves in the process.
Wig and Prosthesis Bank
Y-ME maintains a Wig and Prosthesis Bank that provides wigs and breast prostheses free of charge to women with limited financial resources. No one should be denied these products because of cost.
Publications and Educational Resources
Y-ME produces culturally sensitive educational materials for people who want to understand more about breast cancer, treatment options, and navigating the healthcare system. Resources are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Tagalog, Russian, and Vietnamese.
ShareRing Network
A monthly, one-hour teleconference featuring a presentation by a medical professional on a breast cancer-related topic, followed by a question-and-answer session. Participants are then divided into small discussion groups moderated by trained volunteers — combining expert information with personal peer connection.
Y-ME Advocacy
Y-ME’s advocacy program works to increase breast cancer research funding, support breast cancer-related clinical studies, and ensure quality healthcare for all people affected by breast cancer. This is an opportunity to get involved and make a real difference in public policy at the local, state, and national level.
A Day for You — Friends of Ann and Mimi
An all-day community event providing breast health education and free breast screening exams in medically underserved communities across multiple U.S. cities. This program honors the legacy of Y-ME’s founders by bringing essential services directly to the people who need them most.
Y-ME Local Affiliates
Y-ME has affiliates across the country that provide community-level services including support groups, early detection workshops, teen education programs, wigs and prostheses for women with limited resources, and local advocacy on breast cancer policy issues.
Policies & Organizational Standards
Guiding Principles
As a national voluntary health organization, Y-ME models its policies and procedures according to the “Guiding Principles for Voluntary Health Agencies in Corporate Relationships” developed by the National Health Council — ensuring that all partnerships and programs are held to the highest ethical standards.
Who We Serve — Open to All
Y-ME is not a membership organization in the traditional sense. We welcome anyone who demonstrates an active interest in breast health or breast cancer, without regard to race, age, color, sexual orientation, religion, creed, stage of disease, or socioeconomic status.
If you have requested information from us, participated in a Y-ME program, donated, or accepted a volunteer assignment — at any level — you are part of Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization.
Get in Touch
If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with breast cancer, is awaiting test results, or simply needs someone to talk to who has been through it:
Call the Y-ME National Breast Cancer Hotline:
📞 1-800-221-2141 — English, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
📞 1-800-986-9505 — Spanish, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
All calls are confidential. Peer counselors are available every hour of every day — because breast cancer does not keep office hours, and neither do we.