Board of Directors

President

Evelyn Calip

Evelyn V. Calip is a Registered Nurse. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of San Francisco.

In October 2007, Evelyn was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has had three successful breast reconstruction surgeries and is cancer free.

In 2008, she began working as a Perioperative Registered Nurse at Torrance Memorial Medical Center. Shortly after she began there, she found herself surrounded by other women who were being diagnosed with breast cancer. She remembered her own cancer journey. Regardless of efforts by family and friends to understand what she was going through, they couldn't possibly know how it felt. Realizing this was a deep need in many other women as well, Evelyn was inspired to create a group that would bring together women with breast cancer through unifying events. In August 2009, Evelyn's BFF (Breast Friends Forever) was born.

Work projects that Evelyn started at Torrance Memorial Medical Center related to breast reconstruction awareness:

• Founder and Navigator of Breast Reconstruction Mentorship Program, Cancer Resource Center
• Initiated and Assisted in developing TMMC Breast Reconstruction After Mastectomy Patient/Family Teaching Plan
• Initiated and Assisted in developing TMMC Mastectomy with Tissue Expander Placement Breast Reconstruction Post Op Pre Printed Orders and Mastectomy with DIEP Flap Post Op Pre Printed Orders
• Founder of Evelyn's Corner at Torrance Memorial's HealthLinks Health Resource and Retail Center, which offers information and specially selected garments for women undergoing breast surgery and breast reconstruction. This includes camisoles and pouches to hold post surgical drains, and other supplies to speed recovery after surgery.

Vice President

Evangeline Cabanas

Evangeline Cabanas is the sister of Evelyn Calip, founder of Evelyn's BFF. She graduated from Fresno State University where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Social Work. She and her husband moved to the South Bay in 1985 to start a family and have lived there for 28 years.

Evangeline is currently employed as a Senior Client Associate - Officer with Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC.

She has been involved with Evelyn's BFF since it was formed in March of 2011 and currently serves as Vice President and Treasurer. It was Eva's desire to be involved with Evelyn's BFF to support her sister and others.

In July of 2012, Eva was diagnosed with breast cancer and went through a double masectomy followed by breast reconstruction. Even during this time, she still continued her involvement with her sister's organization and related events. She understands the experiences women with breast cancer are going through and would like to help others to cope while on their way to being cured. To her, even the little things like putting a smile on the survivors faces during an Evelyn's BFF event, makes a difference in enjoying life.

Secretary

Rianne Calip

Rianne Calip is a board certified pharmacy technician. She received her Bachelors of Science in Biology from the University of California, Riverside. During her time in college, she was accepted into an internship program through Cope Health Solutions in which she became a Clinical Care Extender. Through this internship she learned to assist nurses in patient care. After graduating college in 2013, Rianne earned her pharmacy technician certification by taking and passing the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam.

In 2008, Rianne’s mother, Evelyn Calip, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Watching her mother battle and overcome breast cancer was truly inspiring. After beating breast cancer, her mother decided to create a nonprofit organization, Evelyn’s Breast Friends Forever, to help other women with breast cancer. This motivated Rianne to join and help her mother in fulfilling her vision of creating a community for women with breast cancer to share their experiences with each other and to ultimately sponsor women who are under insured or uninsured and cannot receive the reconstructive surgeries they need. Rianne is currently on Evelyn’s BFF Board of Directors as Secretary and looks forward to continue helping her mother inspire women within the community.

Public Relations

Evan Calip

Evan Calip currently attends San Francisco State University working toward a degree in Business a the concentration on marketing. Along with being on the board of directors for Evelyn’s BFF he also is a part of different on campus organizations. Currently, he is involved in Alpha Phi Omega, a community service fraternity.

Evan is the son of Evelyn Calip, the founder of Evelyn’s BFF. After seeing his mother go through her breast cancer journey, he became truly moved by Evelyn. Evelyn’s journey transformed her into someone who was motivated to help people who were diagnosed with breast cancer and Evan pulls great inspiration through his mother’s empowerment. Evan loves being around an organization with such positive vibes and remarkable goals, plus he’ll do anything to help out his mom.

Lodel Yerro Caplan

Lodel Yerro Caplan is the Community Services Coordinator at Torrance Memorial Medical Center. In that role she manages the day-to-day operations of HealthLinks, Torrance Memorial's health resource and retail center. She is an active member of Healthcare Executives of Southern California (HCE SoCal) as Chair of the Communications Committee.

She is also active with the Asian Healthcare Leaders Association (AHCLA) and a member of Women in Healthcare Administration (WHA). She is a longtime member of Toastmasters and has held many leadership positions within the organization. In 2012, she was awarded the Distinguished Toastmaster designation, the highest level one can achieve.

Lodel received her Master's degree in Healthcare Administration from CSU Long Beach and her Bachelor's in Health Science from CSU Dominguez Hills.

In 2009, Lodel lost a friend to breast cancer. Evelyn's BFF was important to this person and Lodel became involved with the organization after her passing. Lodel is involved in all aspects of the organization with a particular focus on marketing.

Medical Advisor

Michael Newman

Dr. Michael K. Newman is a board certified plastic surgeon. Dr. Newman attended UCLA for college and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for Medical School. He completed his plastic surgery training at Virginia Commonwealth University. He was then selected to pursue a fellowship at Georgetown University Hospital where he received additional training in advanced types of breast reconstruction including DIEP flaps and all types of implant reconstruction.

In 2007, Dr. Newman joined South Bay Plastic Surgeons located in Torrance, California where he and his associates frequently perform all types of breast reconstruction for women with breast cancer in the South Bay communities including Torrance, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Long Beach.

Dr. Newman was inspired by Evelyn's initiative to develop a breast reconstruction support group for breast cancer patients and families in the South Bay. He gladly decided to get involved and support Evelyn's Breast Friends Forever group shortly after it was formed and he currently serves as the medical director. Dr. Newman has noticed that the energy from this amazing group helps keep patients and their families positive and optimistic during the breast cancer treatment and breast reconstruction process.