The breast cancer stamp of the United States Postal Service was issued in 1998 and was the first of their newly initiated fundraising stamps. Also called a “semipostal” stamp, it sells for 45-cents and covers the cost of a First Class piece of mail, with the remainder being used for breast cancer research. The National Institutes of Health receive 70% of what is raised and the Medical Research Program at the Department of Defense receives the other 30%. It has already raised over $40 million.

The stamp was designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland. The front of the stamp displays a “goddess of the hunt” in an illustration by Whitney Sherman of Baltimore, Maryland. The background is done in a rainbow of colors and the words, “Fund the Fight – Find a Cure,” are over-laid, suggesting its purpose as a fundraising project of the Postal Service. It has also been suggested that the way the words are positioned and shaped emphasizes awareness for breast exams, reminding women of the need for early detection of breast cancer. It is also a message of hope and continued work on finding a cure for this disease.

The idea for the breast cancer stamp came through Dr. Ernie Bodai, using all volunteers and lobbying at Congress to accomplish his goal of providing a stream of funds for breast cancer research, as well as, education about breast cancer health to all women. Dr. Bodai is CEO of CureBreastCancer, Inc. and a Kaiser Permanente Surgeon.

The actual legislation was a project of U. S. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California and permitted this historic stamp to be the first one of the U.S. Postal Service to raise funds for a specific health or social cause. Arising from the congressional Stamp Out Breast Cancer Act, the division of the funds raised through the breast cancer stamp are specifically designated to go to the Department of Defense, for their breast cancer research program, and to the National Institutes of Health.