The Side-Out Foundation, located in

Fairfax, Virginia Fairfax ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia and the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 24,146. Fairfax is pa ...

, is an American non-profit breast cancer charity that raises awareness and funds for the treatment of

metastatic breast cancer Metastatic breast cancer, also referred to as metastases, advanced breast cancer, secondary tumors, secondaries or stage IV breast cancer, is a stage of breast cancer where the breast cancer cells have spread to distant sites beyond the axillary l ...

. Side-Out fundraises mainly through volleyball-related events. Their mission, as it is stated on their website is, "to unite volleyball players and coaches and to have them work toward the common goal of furthering breast cancer awareness, education, and patient services." Side-Out has a board of directors and team of scientific advisers.

History

The Side-Out Foundation was established in 2004 by West Springfield High School girls volleyball coach Rick Dunetz, after his mother, Gloria Dunetz, was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. The Dig Pink movement was started by The-Side Out Foundation. On August 13, 2014, ''The Side-Out Story,'' a documentary about the Side-Out Foundation was published to Rick Dunetz's YouTube channel. The film also was shown at the All Sports Los Angeles Film Festival where it received an Audience Choice Award.

Activities

Side-Out's activities raise about $1.5 million for the organization each year. Since their roots are in the sport of volleyball their events and activities revolve around the sport. Each year hundreds of Middle School, High School, and College volleyball teams host Dig Pink events as part of the rally to raise both funds and awareness for metastatic breast cancer. The 2013 Dig Pink Rally raised $1.3 million from 925 teams across the country.

The Side-Out Protocol

The main beneficiary of the Side-Out Foundation is their own clinical trial, the Side-Out Protocol. The Side-Out Protocol focuses on the treatment of metastatic breast cancer using applied

proteomics Proteomics is the large-scale study of proteins. Proteins are vital macromolecules of all living organisms, with many functions such as the formation of structural fibers of muscle tissue, enzymatic digestion of food, or synthesis and replicatio ...

and molecular medicine. The main basis of The Side-Out Protocol is using personalized medicine as treatment for metastatic breast cancer and is one of the first uses of proteomics in treating breast cancer.

References

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External links

The Side-Out Foundation

The Side-Out Protocol Clinical Trial
Breast cancer organizations Cancer charities in the United States Medical and health organizations based in Virginia