Five Questions: Crystal Webster

Crystal Webster joined BCFO on Jan. 2 as its executive director. She has more than 10 years of experience in business management, most recently with Barnes & Noble in Springfield. In her most recent job, she served as a community consultant for Access Home Health and Hospice in Springfield. She replaces Ellen Hammock, who took a marketing position with pharmaceutical firm Abbott Laboratories.

Q: Why did you leave the retail field?

A: I had been a manager for retail and restaurants for about 10 years, and I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t as fulfilling as what I wanted for my lifelong career. I started back to school and am currently pursuing my master’s degree in health administration (from Missouri State University), in order to have a career that benefits my community.

Q: How did you get to BCFO?

A: A mutual friend of (BCFO founder) Mary Beth O’Reilly introduced the two of us. We started talking about this organization and its needs, and before you know it, I was interviewing and received an offer to work here.

Q: Why is BCFO’s mission of breast cancer education important to you?

A: Prior to about one month ago, I never had a family connection to breast cancer. But my little sister, Naomi, was just diagnosed. So this is the most amazing parallel of my life. I feel like I have a reason; there are a lot of women and families that can be helped by the experience of my family and the generosity of Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks. This is a unique organization in that there are very few groups that provide real financial support to people who need help paying their bills who are impacted by breast cancer.

Q: What are your goals for the organization this year?

A: One of this year’s objectives is to really expand our outreach into rural areas outside of Springfield. The farther you get outside of Springfield, the greater the need for services. When you think that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some time in their lives, and you look at county poverty levels that hit the 20 percent mark, you can do the math and extrapolate that need.

Q: What’s the one thing you wish more people knew about breast cancer?

A: There are about 10,000 new diagnoses each year in the United States alone. The breast cancer survival rates have increased in the last 30 years by about 66 percent due to early detection and treatment. If you look at all the women in your family or that you would come into contact (with) every day, it’s really not a question of if one of them will get breast cancer – it’s a question of when. Early detection is the key to survivorship. We want to put it out there that it’s not just women in their 40s and 50s and 60s that get this disease. My sister just got a diagnosis at 29 years old. No one is exempt.

Interview by Jeremy Elwood.