NEWSLETTER
November 2025
Please remember Maina Foundation in your annual giving!
Welcome to the Maina Foundation Newsletter!
Dear friends
October was Breast Cancer Awareness month but as you know, our work never stops. Every day we reach out to supporters like yourselves, to help breast cancer patients every day.
Breast cancer doesn’t rest and nor can we.
Please remember Maina Foundation in your annual giving
It was a warm day in New York City when our founder Alka Shrikhande and I attended the annual Breast Cancer Survivor Panel at the NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan Hospital, a 338-bed facility that delivers high-quality, compassionate care to everyone who comes to its doors.
And what a day it was.
Reverend Patricia Graham from the Greater Central Baptist Church in Harlem, who was previously an oncology nurse herself, was the Master of Ceremonies. She opened the event with a prayer, and then, with energy and love, welcomed the speakers. Her voice and words filled the day with hope and enveloped the breast cancer survivors, nay, the thrivers as she likes to call them, their families, their caregivers, the doctors, nurses, and all the healthcare staff that make up the care teams, into a giant group hug.
Some inspiring quotes from the day:
“Thank you to every survivor and thriver, your strength is an inspiration.
Thank you for showing what resilience looks like and for reminding us that
healing happens not only in hospitals but in community and shared
experience.”
-Mr. Julian S. Jones: Chief Executive Officer | NYC Health +Hospitals/
Metropolitan
“Why we do this every year is because we may lose people, but we’ve never
lost hope… I have lost family and friends to breast cancer, and I still
remember their smiles and love. It’s because of the valor and bravery of
these people that we carry on. At the Metropolitan we are a family, and we
put our heart and soul into supporting our patients comprehensively. We help
them survive, thrive and endure.” Dr. Srinivasan described a pregnant
patient for whom she called the US embassy in Mali to ask them to allow the
patient’s mother to come over to help her while she underwent chemo. Her
baby is now ten years old.
-
Dr. Anitha Srinivasan,
breast surgeon, a valued member of Maina Foundation’s scientific board, and
Chief Medical Officer at Metropolitan Hospital in New York City who we
profiled in our Oct 2025 newsletter.
“Thank you to our patients. What you share is helping someone else.”
-Dr. Castaldi Director of Breast Health Services.
“My doctor said to me, ‘You can’t live in hope and fear at the same time,
you have to choose one.’”
-Breast cancer thriver
The speeches were closed by Geralyn Lucas, author, motivational speaker, and breast cancer survivor who had the audience in tears, both happy and sad, with her description of her breast cancer experiences. She has written of her experiences in her book Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy which was made into a movie in 2006.
“I am the sky and nothing can stick to me. The sky is open and vast and
stays unchanged no matter what; it is always the sky. A storm can roll
through it, an airplane can roar through, and it is always the sky.”
― Geralyn Lucas, Why I Wore Lipstick To My Mastectomy
Maina Foundation at the Metropolitan Hospital:
Alka Shrikhande and I attended on behalf of Maina Foundation. DR. Srinivasan described how for a very long time she would struggle to get MRIs for her patients, which is often not covered by insurers. “I was with Maina Foundation since its inception. And now they are celebrating 17 years and they’ve been supporting the Metropolitan for more than ten years. The money that Maina Foundation gives helps subsidize MRIs for patients who cannot afford them. Thank you, Maina Foundation.”
Alka replied, “We are very glad to be here with all of you. There’s so much hope and inspiration, and so much more work to do for us so we can keep on supporting all your efforts.”
Notes of love:
A wonderful touch to the day were the hand drawn postcards from children at the local middle school in Harlem to breast cancer patients.
We hope you enjoyed this brief overview of the good work people are doing and the heartwarming thanks from the patients we serve.
Our day at the Metropolitan Hospital was only possible because of supporters like yourselves. Thank you to everyone for your dedication and hard work to patients with breast cancer.
ART SALE!
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Maina Foundation board member and artist, Natalie Sambamurty, has collected a talented and generous group of artists to bring to you our Fourth Annual Online Art Exhibition.
On our art page you’ll find beautiful original holiday greeting cards, colorful candle holders and trays with intricately painted henna designs, and gorgeous watercolor, oils and acrylic artwork for your home and to gift.
This year, 20% of the proceeds from the Art sale will be donated to NYC Health and Hospitals Metropolitan Breast Care Center, which provides comprehensive breast cancer care to under-served and vulnerable populations regardless of their ability to pay.
The model for cancer care focuses on helping patients identify their risk level by promoting health education and screenings in order to increase access to early intervention and treatment. Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI plays a significant role in the care of patients who have already received their diagnosis- the imaging will allow physicians to provide timely care to their patients, and therefore, patients to avoid any delay in their treatment due to the staging work up.
Under-served and vulnerable population often miss or are denied screenings and treatment because of out-of-pocket costs. Funding from our art sales will directly contribute to paying for procedures and imaging tests that are not available on-site.
Please consider supporting our mission by purchasing these beautiful paintings created by our featured artists.
NEWS!
As supporters of Maina Foundation it’s heartening to see all the good work our collaborators are doing in preventing breast cancer.
The SHE PROJECT (Screening and Health Education Project) a collaboration between the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Maina Foundation was begun in 2018.
At that time a survey done in Uttarakhand found that breast cancer was the most prevalent cancer found in females (22.29%) followed by cervical cancer (14.86%) and ovarian cancers (13.51%).
2025 is the 8 th year this project has been in effect, and in honor of this milestone, the team at AIIMS has put together a beautiful overview, including poems and inspiring testimonials from women who were helped by the project.
Please take a look at this lovely overview on our website to see how your donations are supporting people who really need it.
To our Maina Foundation newsletter readers, thank you for reading and your valuable support! Please consider forwarding this newsletter to anyone who may benefit from this information.
Manju Soni, pen name MJ Soni (she/her), is the author of
DEFYING APARTHEID
, her part-memoir about being a doctor activist in apartheid South Africa.
Her debut mystery, to be released in July 2026, is
THE MASALA CHAI MYSTERY CLUB
, and is perfect for fans of Only Murders in the Building and Richard
Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club.
Set in coastal New England, it features a retired librarian and her
chai-loving friends who involve themselves in solving the murder of their
much-despised HOA president when his death has an uncanny similarity to
their most recent book club read.
https://manjusoni.com
.
We thank you for your continued support!
For more information on Maina Foundation, and to help its mission, go to https://mainafoundation.org or contact us at 860-434-3985 or info@mainafoundation.org
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Donations can also be mailed to:
8 Peppermint Ridge, Old Lyme, CT 06371, USA