Jill Martin has a very personal reason for her new charitable initiative.
Despite being given a clean bill of health from her regular mammograms and sonograms, the author, 12-time Emmy Award winner and lifestyle contributor for NBC’s “Today” show was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer in July 2023. She found out later through genetic testing that she had inherited a BRCA2 gene mutation from her father’s side of the family.
Martin underwent a double mastectomy followed by chemotherapy and used her recovery time to brainstorm how to best use her position to raise awareness around early gene testing for the disease.
The result was a collection of loungewear and outerwear featuring the logos of the NBA and WNBA in pink.
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“This past year has been earth-shattering for me,” said Martin. “The support I have gotten from the NBA and WNBA has been overwhelming. I am so honored to be able to use my platform to raise awareness for testing so that other families do not have to go through what mine did.”
The new collection, By Jill Martin, features comfort essentials and she designated a few of the pieces to be reinterpreted in pink to support the cause. That includes sherpa loungers and hoodies as well as 10 x 10-foot family blankets and oversized animal buddies.
The products are available for purchase on the Jill Martin website as well as through Fanatics, select Lids Stores, select NBA team stores and Saks Fifth Avenue. Prices range from $89 to $200 and all proceeds of the NBA and WNBA product will be donated to the Basser Center for BRCA, the first center solely devoted to the research, treatment and prevention of BRCA-related cancers.
On Tuesday, the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the leagues turned the “Today” plaza pink by donating coats with the pink logos to attendees and Martin related her breast cancer story on air. That led to a strong start to the sale of the breast cancer-related products, according to a Fanatics spokesperson.
