Celebrating the Life of Amy Lessack with LBBC

Join LBBC on Thursday, April 8th at 7:00 p.m. (ET) to celebrate the life of Amy Lessack and for the presentation of the inaugural LBBC Caregiver Award to Abby Lessack.

Amy’s interview with LBBC: ‘I Knew This Was The Place For Me’

How did you first get involved with LBBC?

Amy: When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002, there was no breast cancer organization focused on women under 40, let alone 36, [as I was]. A family friend connected me to LBBC. I called and spoke with a staff member who hooked me up with information and invited me to an upcoming meeting. I will always remember her kindness and the spirit with which she welcomed me to a group I never dreamed of joining. But there I sat listening to a very smart oncologist share things that I needed to know. From that moment I knew this was the place for me. (read more on LBBC)

Amy E. Lessack, 55, of Blue Bell, an exuberant corporate learning and development director, a versatile former bank executive, and a tireless advocate for those affected by cancer, died Saturday, Feb. 20, of breast cancer at home.

Ms. Lessack was diagnosed when she was 36 and spent the rest of her life showing others that the disease, as all-consuming as it can be, need not define her or them. Although never in remission and continuously in treatment and on medication, Ms. Lessack smiled endlessly, laughed, and talked of a brighter future.

“She never complained,” said her sister, Abby Lessack. “That’s why people gravitated to her. She collected friends. You wouldn’t see her for months. But when you did, she’d pick right up where you left off.”

“She always said that battling cancer did not make her bitter,” said her mother, Arlene Lessack. “It made her better.” (read more on the Inquirer)

Reach & Raise with TEAM Thrivin’ and Survivin’

Since 2010, my sister, Amy, has participated in Living Beyond Breast Cancer’s annual fundraiser, Reach and Raise/Yoga on the Steps. In 2012, Amy (along with her good friend and fellow cancer survivor, Jewel) created a team for the fundraiser, naming it THRIVIN’ AND SURVIVIN’. Amy cherished this event, which connected thousands of people in support of women living with breast cancer. Every year, she would send out the call, asking her friends and family to join the team and participate in the event.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Reach & Raise. Unfortunately, due to COVID, this year’s event will be held virtually. While it is sucks that we all can’t be together on what would hopefully be a warm, sunny Sunday morning in May, we can still practice yoga together, with Jennifer Schelter leading the class. This year’s class is being dedicated to Amy and all that she gave to LBBC and those around her.

If you are able, please register to join Jewel, Abby and the Thrivin’ and Surivin’ team on Sunday, May 16th.

Amy was a graduate of Upper Dublin High School and Penn State University, where she earned both undergraduate and masters degrees. Her 30-year career was spent in the financial and health care sectors, during which she was a Vice President at First Union and a Senior Vice President at Wells Fargo. Most recently, at AmerisourceBergen, she was a Director in its corporate university. Throughout her life, Amy was a passionate advocate, serving on the boards of Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) and YMCA Camp Tockwogh. She was proud of the mission of LBBC and the assistance it provided. (read more on Legacy)

For the last quarter of a century, Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC), a national non-profit based in Philadelphia, has changed the narrative for women with breast cancer. The mission of the organization and its CEO, Jean Sachs, is that no woman feel alone or uninformed in her journey through diagnosis and treatment. The many channels of support have changed the story of over 600,000 people in LBBC’s community last year.