Name: #Fran Drescher
Age: 64
Hometown: Kew Gardens, New York
Occupation: Actress, Comedian, Author, Activist
Most famous for: Her role as Miss Fine in CBS series The Nanny
How she got connected to food: Drescher became connected to food through her battle with #cancer. As a 16-year uterine cancer survivor, her mission is to shift America’s focus towards proactive healthcare and healthy living.
What she cares about: Organic eating, toxin-free living, preventive health, #integrative medicine, #cancer awareness, consumer empowerment
Why she cares about it: Drescher wants to help those afflicted with cancer to improve their diets and wellbeing through sustainably sourced and produced foods and encourage healthy people to adapt toxic-free lifestyles to avoid ever being diagnosed with cancer. Her hope is to transform the lives of Americans, particularly women, by expanding the focus beyond searching for a care and towards prevention and early detection of cancer. She hopes all women with cancer are diagnosed in the earliest stages when it is most curable.
What she is doing about it: She wrote a book called Cancer Schmancer recounting her story from diagnosis (and misdiagnosis) to survival. After learning her story was not unique but common to many of women, she started the nonprofit Cancer Schmancer Movement.
Food project(s): Cancer Schmancer Movement
How it works: Cancer Schmancer Movement’s mission is to save lives by transforming the nation’s current sick care system into one that focuses on genuine healthcare. They accomplish this with a three-pronged approach: prevention, early detection, and policy change.
The first program is prevention. Cancer Schmancer takes a proactive, holistic approach to wellness. The organization focuses on integrative medicine and encourages people – whether sick or healthy – to adapt a mind-body connection to their health. The goal? To not get sick in the first place.
The second prong is early detection. The organization provides knowledge and resources about self-examination and how to notice early warning signs. Cancer Schmancer also works with women in low-income or underserved communities to link up with no- or low-cost screening services through the “Fran Van” initiative. The initiative provides free screenings to those located in Los Angeles and New York and is looking to expand into new areas.
The third prong is policy change. Drescher was named one of the Top 5 Celebrity Lobbyists by Washingtonian Magazine (alongside other celebs including George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Bono) for her efforts contributing to the passage 2007’s Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act. The act, the first of its kind in US history, promotes the education of women regarding gynecologic cancer in hopes that heightened awareness will lead to early detection and decreased morbidity.
The organization’s latest effort, #Be the Change, focuses on empowering consumers, especially young people, to make smart, healthy purchases and vote with their dollars. The organization believes consumers have the power to impact manufacturing trends. By increasing consumer awareness and boycotting carcinogenic products, manufacturers will seek out healthier, less toxic alternatives in order to stay profitable.
Social Media
Fran Drescher
- Twitter: @frandrescher
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drescher/
- Instagram: @officialfrandrescher
Cancer Schmancer
- Twitter: @cancerschmancer
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CancerSchmancer
- Instagram: @cancerschmancer
Interesting stories about Fran Drescher and her food projects in online media:
Food Tank Interviews Fran Drescher About Her Thoughts on Food and Her Biggest Inspirations
Prevention Magazine Pushes Readers to Listen to Fran Drescher’s Call to Eliminate Toxins in Our Lives
Fran Drescher Named One of the Top 5 Celebrity Lobbyists by Washingtonian Magazine
KTLA 5 Interviews Fran Drescher on Her New Comedy Special and Cancer Schmancer
Fran Drescher Talks With Food Tank About the Motivations Behind Her Work
Fran Drescher Tells People Magazine Living With Cancer Made Her a Stronger Person
