INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The WNBA All-Star 2025 Host Committee is teaming up with the Komen Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Cancer Center to launch All-Star Cure, a two-day breast tissue donation event.

The event will give up to 500 women the chance to donate healthy breast tissue.

“That’s going to really uplift breast cancer research,” said Dr. Kathi Ridley-Merriweather, PhD, communication and recruitment manager at the Komen Tissue Bank.

Women under age 40 and women of color are especially encouraged to donate because those are the two demographics cancer researchers don’t know enough about.

“Black and brown women are definitely adversely affected by breast cancer. Black women are most likely to die of the disease, and researchers want to know why that is. The breast cancer incidents in young people is rising. It has actually risen 2% over the last 5 years,” said Ridley-Merriweather.

Ridley-Merriweather said she understands that women of color may not trust having their tissue go toward research, but she said it’s going to a good cause.

“If we don’t participate in this kind of research, the treatments will never be for us,” Ridley-Merriweather said. “Only we have control over the new treatments that they want to discover that really work well for us.

The process takes 60-90 minutes.

“We numb you up very, very well with lidocaine, so that you don’t feel anything,” Ridley-Merriweather said. “We make a very, very small incision. we take the tissue out with a vacuum-assist device called an ATEC machine from Hologic, very well-known in women’s health, and then pressure is held until you stop bleeding. We put a Steri-Strip (bandage) that’s applied over the incision. It’s very small. It doesn’t even take a stitch.”

The two-day event is this Saturday and Sunday at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center. Registration before donating is encouraged, and you must be over 18 to donate.

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