Tepoz Rosa

In 2013 two residents of Tepoztlán, Morelos, Úrsula Hahn and Bridget Galsworthy Estavillo , who had suffered from breast cancer, saw the need to educate women on the importance of the early detection of the disease. Breast cancer, the leading cause of death among Mexican women, is 95% curable when detected early. 

With this in mind they founded in 2013 Tepoz Rosa AC , a non-profit association that has organized year in and year out early detection campaigns for the prevention of breast cancer. In 2019 they added early detection campaigns for the prevention of cervical cancer, the second cause of death for Mexican women.

In addition they saw that Tepoztlán, a rural village, had few health services, which meant that patients had to travel to Mexico City, 100 kilometers away, for cancer diagnosis and treatment.

That first year Bridget and Ursula organized in the villager of Tepoztlán an early breast cancer detection campaign that offered 280 free mammograms in just three days. Since then, the number of screenings has increased each year, reaching 1,000 in a single year. It soon became clear that financial, therapeutic, and logistical support was essential for any patient diagnosed with breast cancer. Accordingly Tepoz Rosa began supporting its patients with therapists, nutritionists, assistance in scheduling appointments, medications not provided by health services, and other benefits.

Casa Tepoz Rosa , the association’s permanent headquarters, opened in 2023 thanks to the generous support of numerous donors, especially GNP Seguros . Conveniently located for local women and with space for the mobile units that conduct the screenings, Casa Tepoz Rosa has become a vital health information center for the women of Tepoztlán.

To achieve its goal of providing free screening for breast and gynecological cancers, Tepoz Rosa AC depends entirely on donations from national and international companies, individual donors , and its own fundraising initiatives. Some of the direct donors are GNP Seguros, the Grimm Family Foundation, and the Luis  Pasteur Foundation . Other organizations fund specific services. Televisa/Gol por México Foundation supports our breast cancer screening, and GNP Seguros prints the annual Tepoz Rosa Calendars/Cookbook.

Amistad Canadá, thanks to Doug Clark and Janet Dawson, generously offers tax deductibility to Canadian donors who wish to make contributions to the association.

Tepoz Rosa and its supporters organize various local and international events each year. These activities serve to publicize their work and to raise funds. The popular Tepoz Rosa bilingual Calendar/Cookbook, now in its 10th year, is an important source of income. Janet Dawson, noted art historian and local resident, has tirelessly offered Informative and entertaining talks on art that she gives in Mexico and Canada to raise funds and awareness for Tepoz Rosa’s mission. .

In addition, the annual gourmet lunch in November, donated by Hotel Boutique Casa Fernanda is always a highly anticipated event and an important source of revenue. In 2024 , a new fundraising activity was inaugurated: a tennis exhibition, organized by Henry Richardson, Monsour Taghdisi , and their son, Cameron, at Villa Ferriona.