The Shape of Things

By Christina George • Photos by Anastasia Pottinger

On a beautiful, sunny day this spring, more than 40 women gathered at Columbia Orthopaedic Group to have their bare breasts cast, using the same materials used to cast, say, a broken leg. Why? Experience, compassion, commitment and love.

The casts were the first step to creating works of art decorated by local artists. The finished casts will be displayed at the Columbia Art League and other locations around Columbia and Jefferson City, and on Oct. 25, the casts will be auctioned at the Columbia Art League. Proceeds will benefit the Vincent P. Gurucharri MD Foundation.

Karen Althage, pictured above, noted that though the Gurucharri Foundation has held a number of fundraisers in the past three and a half years, this has been the most emotional project to date: “So many people wanted to do this, there was no arm twisting, and, in fact, we had to turn people away. It was very emotional the day we did the casting and emotional to watch the artists choose the casts they wanted to decorate. As the decorated casts came back to the office, it was like Christmas; we couldn’t wait to see what we got.”

The Vincent P. Gurucharri MD Foundation, in the words of President Karen Althage:

Dr. Gurucharri was a well-known surgeon who practiced general and thoracic surgery in Boone County Missouri from 1980 to 2003. He displayed a passion for the pursuit and application of medical knowledge that was exceeded only by his compassion — compassion that included the medical, spiritual and financial needs of patients.

The foundation is a non-profit organization that initially provided financial assistance to Boone County residents undergoing treatment for cancer. Due to generous donations from the community, this has been expanded to include the counties of Boone, Howard, Cooper, Moniteau, Cole, Callaway, Audrain and Randolph. To be eligible, the resident must demonstrate limited financial resources.

Social workers in area hospitals and clinics will evaluate patients’ financial status and refer patients in need of assistance to the foundation. Patients may apply for a maximum of $750 per year. Funds are available for medications, medical treatment, medical equipment, transportation, dental care and other needs as determined by the social worker.

The first recipient was assisted on Feb. 6, 2006. Since this time, more than $101,600 has been given to mid-Missouri residents in their times of need.

In Gurucharri’s own words, “People Help People,” which he found was true when the community helped him during his bone marrow transplant and illness.

Please visit www.docg.org for more information or to donate.

This is an excerpt of an actual request for funding to the Gurucharri Foundation earlier this year:

Patient has been assisted by the fund in the past. … Patient has been in the hospital for the past two weeks with recurrent breast cancer once again. Her disease is in her brain again but now throughout her spine and spinal fluid. She has cord compression from the tumors and has subsequent paralysis of both legs and is incontinent. She went home … with hospice. Her neighbor is helping care for her and her 1.5-year-old daughter. She does not have the funds to pay the attached bill for her utilities. Hospice has found funding to assist with day-to-day needs such as food, and they are funding the private adoption process to help expedite a private adoption of the young child while the patient is still alive, competent and able to participate in choosing the right family for her daughter. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated. This will be her last request to the Gurucharri Foundation. She wanted me to express her sincere gratitude and that she is sorry she will not be able to pay you back so as to continue the good work you are doing. The foundation has helped to keep her and her daughter together by helping them maintain livable conditions with proper utilities for the past two years. Thank you.

Breasts of Mid-Missouri 2009 will be held at the Columbia Art League Oct. 25 from 3-5 p.m. Twenty finished casts will be sold during a live auction, and the rest will be available for purchase via its Web site.

Tickets to Breasts of Mid-Missouri 2009 are available for $10 each at www.docg.org or by calling 573-443-8773 (ask for Maura). Bleu will furnish the hors d’oeuvres, and wine donated by Gateway Wine and Spirits will be served.

The project was the brainchild of Jackie Pittman, former Columbia resident, and Karen Althage, vice president of the Gurucharri Foundation. The two women enlisted the support of the Columbia Orthopaedic Group. Columbia Orthopaedic Group donated its space and materials for the casting, and eight employees donated their time: Robin Gray, Donna Smith, Julia Walker, Jennifer Comer, Amy Craighead, Joan Gillingham, Lezlie Norris and Michelle Hull (a Boone Hospital employee). Participating artists were Jessie Starbuck, Lisa Bartlett, Adya Crawford, Gennifer Monteer, Emily Colen, Roberta Dunkel, Jackie O’Rourke, Corrine Williams, Leslie McCullough-Payne, Adrian Kelly, Lori Korshgen, Leslie O’Neal, Carol Zeman, Kate Gray, Nancy DeClue, Fawn Stephenson, Leandra Spangler, Suebet Beck, Judy Jones, Katherine Connor, Shanon Hawk, Carol Bontempo, Sue Gibson, Kim Huse, Bethany Crouch, Sara Yovich, Noelle Anderson, Alex Jacobson and Whitney Turley.