by Kelly Allen | September 17, 2008

OVIEDO - Last Saturday, Compassionate Hands and Hearts celebrated their first year of lending a helping hand to women who are battling breast cancer.

Compassionate Hands and Hearts is a homegrown nonprofit organization created by Vanessa Echols, a breast cancer survivor and news anchor for channel 9. The organization's mission is "to extend our hands and hearts to support those needing help battling breast cancer by improving the quality of life for them and their families."

... Saturday's celebration, which took place at the Oviedo Woman's Club on King Street, was also a time for organizations, businesses and those affected by breast cancer to network.

Several groups were present, including KAM Cancer Connection, Cancer Care Foundation of Brevard, Sisters Network, the Breast Cancer Center of Florida, Ourhometowndirectory.com, Studio CARA and many others.

Nancy Keane and her daughter Maria Shafer are still in the process of getting KAM Cancer Connection off the ground. Their organization, based in Lake County, is named after Keane's oldest daughter, Karen, who died of breast cancer.

KAM will help connect cancer patients who are uninsured get connected with help in paying their medical expenses. Having several family members who have battled cancer, Keane knows how expensive medical bills are. The nonprofit will also offer one-on-one mentoring and help for caregivers.

"I was the daytime caregiver, I know what that's like," Keane said.

Keane and Shafer supported Echols and Compassionate Hands and Hearts Saturday because Echols helped them get their organization off the ground.

"She was a great help," Keane said. "... We've become close friends."