Storyteller: Susan Weldon
When Unite for HER founder Sue Weldon was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, she began searching forinformation on therapies that would complement the medical treatments she was receiving. What she discovered was a lack of easily accessible resources on topics like nutrition, acupuncture, massage, yoga, counseling and other ways for breast cancer patients to enhance their wellness and care for their emotional, spiritual, and physical needs. Unite for HER has now served more than 4,000 women with breast cancer in the Philadelphia region. Sue has dedicated her life to empowering women, helping them find healing and support as they face cancer.
Since its establishment as a nonprofit organization in 2009, Unite for HER’s cornerstone has been to bridge that gap for breast cancer patients, focusing on wellness initiatives that will positively impact their health, as well as the health of all women and girls.
Their mission is to bridge the gap between the medical and wellness communities by funding and delivering complementary therapies that support the physical and emotional needs of those with breast cancer during treatment and beyond. They educate women and the community about the role of healthy lifestyle choices in the prevention of disease and the promotion of wellness.
Sue Weldon serves as the CEO and Founder of Unite for HER, a vibrant growing non-profit organization that serves over 1200 women annually newly diagnosed. Fueled by the powerful impact that complementary therapies had on her recovery during her breast cancer diagnosis in 2004, Sue founded Unite for HER (UFH). In just over eight years, what started as a small program at Paoli Hospital, has grown to a partnership with 31 hospitals and affiliates that has served more than 4,000 women in the Philadelphia region. Sue is a respected leader in the community and an effective proponent of integrating traditional and holistic modalities to provide a comprehensive plan to treat the whole woman. She is known for her energetic leadership style and her ability to envision and create successful outcomes in programming and fundraising. Sue is greatly humbled by the enormous role and expertise her staff, board and volunteer teams play to move the mission and success of Unite for HER forward.
Prior to founding UFH, Sue had a career in Advertising Sales and spent 25 years as a coach at AJS Pancott Gymnastics. She is a graduate of West Chester University with a degree in Communication and was a member of the Women’s Gymnastics Team. Sue’s greatest love and passion are her husband and three children who inspire her each and everyday.
We invite you to watch this video to learn more about Sue’s journey and the impact of her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Created for the Be Well Philly Health Hero Challenge, this personal look into her background and passion for helping women become fully restored will encourage and inspire.