Doctor's Presentation Helping Breast Cancer Fight

Madison resident Dr. Kathleen Ruddy will take her fight against breast cancer to Words Bookstore in Maplewood this Saturday at 2 p.m.

Ruddy's research and findings while investigating the viral link with breast cancer, a cause of the disease that has been implicated in 40 percent of new breast cancer cases,  will be part of her presentation "Bittner's Mice, Does A Virus Cause Breast Cancer."

The presentation will also include a recently produced short film, "The Pink Virus" which features leading breast cancer researchers speaking about their work.

Ruddy is a breast cancer surgeon whose private practice is located at Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, where she had been the medical director of the breast service she helped create. But more importantly to her, and hopefully for those who are and may be afflicted with breast cancer, she is the founder of Breast Health & Healing and the Pink Virus Project.

The Pink Virus Project is a collaboration Ruddy has formed to combine the efforts of different scientists, foundations, hospitals, and patient advocates to raise the awareness of the Mammary Tumor Virus, or what Ruddy calls the Pink Virus.

"If we ever hope to change the statistics on breast cancer, our most promising intervention is going to be understanding what the causes are and prevent it," Ruddy said. "It is very hard to catch up and cure once it happens. I think women need to know how little money is spent understanding the causes to help prevent the disease. I think if women know how little is spent, women will demand to increase it."

Ruddy recently created Breast Health GPS, a free application for Apple's iPhone which allows users to locate the nearest mammogram screening centers. By using GPS information obtained from the government, all a user needs to do is open the application.

Ruddy is also working on a second edition of her book "The Pink Virus," and has recently appeared in a CBS News segment.

Ruddy has spoken at conferences around the world and will bring her message to the Maplewood store.

Words Bookstore is located at 179 Maplewood Ave., Maplewood, and the phone number is 973-763-9500.