My Breakthrough
Mary-Jean Mitchell Green
Our long-term benefactor, Peter Green and his family have pledged an amazing £877,403 towards our research over the next three years, in memory of wife and mother Mary-Jean. This commitment takes the family’s remarkable total commitment to more than £3 million.
Mary-Jean Mitchell Green was born in 1951 in London, the daughter of Scottish parents, Sir Harold Mitchell (former vice-chairman of the Conservative Party) and Lady Mitchell.She was educated privately at home until the age of nine, when she went to St George's, an English girls' boarding school located in Switzerland. At the age of sixteen she went to Middlebury College, Vermont, USA, where she graduated with honours with a Bachelor of Arts degree after four years, including one year studying at the Sorbonne in Paris. She then attended St Anne's College, Oxford University, where she obtained her Master of Letters in Politics.
In 1975, Mary-Jean married Peter Green. By this time, she was already actively involved in her family's businesses, including coal mining, farming and investments in different countries. Mrs. Green went on to succeed her father as Chairman of each company and held numerous other Directorships and Trusteeships, including Director of the Bank of Nova Scotia and Trustee of Rollins College, Florida.
Mary-Jean's recreations included skiing, mountaineering - she climbed the Matterhorn in 1984 - gardening (particularly growing roses and orchids) and collecting art and books. In 1988, Mary-Jean was diagnosed with breast cancer. It went into remission in 1989 and returned in 1990, when she died at the age of 38.
The birth of Breakthrough Breast Cancer
At about the same time, the concept of Breakthrough Breast Cancer was born. The name of Mary-Jean Mitchell Green is an integral part of the history of Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Through The Mary-Jean Mitchell Green Foundation, Peter Green has donated more than £1.6 million to enable Breakthrough Breast Cancer to build the UK's first dedicated breast cancer research centre.The name of Mary-Jean Mitchell Green is an integral part of the history of Breakthrough.
Mr Green has also generously supported Professor Alan Ashworth's research into the BRCA1 gene and international workshops on the functions of both known breast cancer susceptibility genes.
In 2004, Mr Green and his family agreed a new three-year programme of support to establish a research group for Professor Mitch Dowsett, totalling nearly £400,000. Professor Dowsett's group will investigate how resistance to anti-oestrogen drugs develops. Such drugs prevent oestrogen-dependent breast tumour cells growing - an area of paramount importance for improving treatment and care for breast cancer patients.
The family's support grows
The Green family have recently made a commitment to Breakthrough Breast Cancer of £877,403 over the next three years.
In December 2007 Mr Green became a Founding Honorary Fellow of Breakthrough Breast Cancer in recognition of his unique support which has so significantly helped the organisation to grow and be the success it is recognised as today.
We are very grateful to our friends, Peter, Andrew, Alexander and to Ron Beedie for joining us in pursuit of our vision and in making a real difference for those people affected by breast cancer and their families.
Also within "People"
- Trustees
- Mary-Jean Mitchell Green, Wife and Mother
- HRH the Prince of Wales, Patron
- Professor Clare Isacke, Scientist
- Nina Barough CBE, Fundraiser
- Nicola Robinson-Greig, Clinical nurse
- Surinder Surpal, CAN member
- Maire Fahey, Editor of Prima magazine
- James Stewart, Fundraiser
- Michelle Collins, Actress
- Carol Smith, Bra Fitter
- Anne Herbert, Bingo Player
- Norma Hayter, Fundraiser
- Shiavax Daji, Volunteer
- Professor Alan Ashworth and Doctor Andy Tutt, Scientist and Clinician
- Founding Honorary Fellows
