Atlanta Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon David Whiteman, MD Helps Breast Cancer Patients with Annual Sport of Giving Competition

Atlanta plastic surgeon David Whiteman, MD continues his commitment to helping victims and potential sufferers of breast cancer with his involvement in The Sport of Giving and VolleyFest, an annual competition that has raised more than one million dollars to support breast cancer care and prevention in Atlanta and surrounding communities.

(Vocus/PRWEB ) June 16, 2009 -- Atlanta plastic surgeon David Whiteman, MD continues his commitment to helping victims and potential sufferers of breast cancer with his involvement in The Sport of Giving and VolleyFest, an annual competition that has raised more than one million dollars to support breast cancer care and prevention in Atlanta and surrounding communities.

Since its inception in 2001, Dr. David Whiteman of Southern Plastic Surgery has been involved with VolleyFest, part of an annual breast cancer fundraiser and awareness event encompassing a variety of charity sporting competitions held around Atlanta. Originally called Volley for a Cure, VolleyFest is getting bigger each year, with more participants, more money raised, and more sporting options added to its list of events. Now called The Sport of Giving, VolleyFest is the tennis tournament component of a charity organization that also holds a Golf Invitational (SwingFest) and a 5K and 1-Mile Race (RunFest), spread out over a 5-week period in April and May. May, 2009’s VolleyFest played at venues throughout the Atlanta area, continuing the nearly decade-long tradition of raising money to support breast cancer care and prevention, and providing needs and services to many area institutions and programs, including Gwinnett Medical Center, Northside Hospital Forsyth, and the Georgia Cancer Foundation.

As of 2008, The Sport of Giving reports that one million dollars in cumulative giving has been raised. As a direct result of the annual competition, more than $200,000 has been donated to Gwinnett Medical Center and $50,000 has been donated to Women’s Center Northside Forsyth Hospital. Also, Gwinnett Medical and Northside Hospital – Forsyth are now equipped with a mobile mammography Care-A-Van; funds and a digital screening center have gone to the Mammography Center of Gwinnett Medical Center – Duluth; and Gwinnett Medical has implemented new, state-of-the-art digital technology.

Begun in 2001 by Sheila Stevens, a woman who wanted to make a difference in people’s lives while honoring the spirit of her mother who had succumbed to cancer, VolleyFest originated as “Volley for a Cure,” and was brought to fruition by Stevens and friends from the TPC at Sugarloaf golf course. Since then, “Volley for a Cure” has been renamed “VolleyFest,” and has gone from a group of 56 women to more than 600 participants playing tennis at ten venues across the Atlanta area. As part of The Sport of Giving, VolleyFest involves friendly tennis competitions, breast health education, and speeches from survivors of breast cancer to help raise money and awareness.

Dr. David Whiteman, head of a top Atlanta plastic cosmetic surgery practice, serves as the medical adviser on The Sport of Giving’s Board of Directors. In addition to overseeing Southern Plastic Surgery, Dr. Whiteman is the director of the Breast Cancer Survivors Information Network and the Breast Cancer Buddy Group, and also serves as the Chief of Plastic Surgery at Gwinnett Hospital System. One of Dr. Whiteman’s areas of focus at Southern Plastic Surgery is breast reconstruction, and he has been a leader in establishing support groups between breast reconstruction patients and cancer survivors. As an Atlanta-area breast reconstruction surgeon, Dr. Whiteman performs procedures to recreate the breasts after they have been removed in a mastectomy. Several years ago, he began support programs at his practice designed to introduce patients on a one-on-one basis, establishing a buddy system where patients can call talk with their support partners about the experience of breast reconstruction surgery and what they’ve gone through as cancer survivors. The Sport of Giving, The Breast Cancer Survivors Information Network and the Breast Cancer Buddy Group now include a breast cancer handbook for Gwinnett and Forsyth County patients who have recently been diagnosed. The handbooks provide a helpful reference for women to understand the disease and treatment, as well as the emotions they may experience and the recovery process.

This year’s Sport of Giving event committed 2009 proceeds to four Atlanta-area organizations, including the Georgia Cancer Foundation’s low-cost screening and diagnostic program to help medically underserved women; the American Cancer Society’s Patient Navigator; Gwinnett Medical-Lawrenceville Women’s Center, and Northside – Forsyth Breast Care Center.

Dr. Whiteman is board-certified in both Plastic and Reconstructive surgery, and has been serving the Atlanta community since 1993.

For more details on Dr. David Whiteman’s involvement with The Sport of Giving and his breast cancer support groups, or information on Atlanta breast surgery procedures available at Southern Plastic Surgery, contact the practice at 3855 Pleasant Hill Rd, Suite #370, Duluth, Georgia 30096 – (770) 622-9100 – or via Dr. Whiteman’s website at www.southernplasticsurgery.com.

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