BREAST CANCER HAS NOT BEEN STOPPED.

How will you get involved?

Martha speaking at an event, advocating for early breast cancer detection and awareness.

A Single Mission

Dedicated to Early Detection

Since its establishment in 1995, earlier.org – Friends for an Earlier Breast Cancer Test® has been dedicated exclusively to the earlier detection of breast cancer, with a primary focus on developing a biological test. Such advancements have the potential to reduce or eliminate invasive surgeries, lessen the need for intensive treatments, and significantly improve survival rates. Unlike many non-profit organizations with extensive offices, a large staff, and multi-level structures, earlier.org operates from a single office in Greensboro, NC, with a small, dedicated team. The organization's mission is to allocate funds swiftly and efficiently to research efforts. Once earlier.org successfully achieves its clearly defined mission to fund research leading to successful earlier detection, the organization can willingly and thankfully close its doors.

“This is a project, not an ongoing organization. A biomarker will be found and a test to detect breast cancer in its earliest stages will be created. No previous generation has had the opportunity to make an impact of this magnitude on breast cancer.”

– Martha Kaley | Founder & Executive Director, earlier.org

Earlier.org event bringing together supporters to raise awareness and funds for early breast cancer detection.

Make a Donation

Your Generosity Makes a Difference

Amount

$50

$100

$200

$300

Meet Martha

The lady behind the mission

Ask anyone who knows Martha, and they’ll tell you the same thing: she did everything right. Trim and fit, she exercised regularly, maintained an excellent diet, and was the picture of health. Yet, like millions of American women, she was diagnosed with breast cancer—a shocking revelation for someone with no family history of the disease.

Fortunately, Martha also inherited a legacy of persistence and ingenuity from her inventor father and industrious mother. These traits drove her to action, founding Friends You Can Count On—the nation’s first research funding organization dedicated exclusively to the earlier detection of breast cancer, based in Greensboro, North Carolina.

“I had a cancerous tumor,” Martha recalls, “that went undetected on a mammogram.” It wasn’t until three months later, after a playful scratch from Sherlock, the family’s lively Chocolate Lab, that Martha noticed a lump in her breast. During surgery to remove what turned out to be a benign lump, her cautious doctor decided to investigate further and discovered a hidden cancerous tumor on her chest wall.

Today, Martha channels her experience into tireless advocacy. She dedicates every day to advancing research for earlier breast cancer detection—research aimed at identifying the disease before a tumor ever forms. Martha’s story and determination fuel a mission to save lives through groundbreaking innovation.