Today, Bobbie for Change, the social impact and advocacy arm of the infant formula company Bobbie, and The Breasties, the first all-inclusive non-profit organization for those affected by breast and gynecologic cancers, are descending on Capitol Hill for a historic Hill Day. Their mission: to fix a more than decade-long policy gap in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that provides cancer previvors and survivors with breast pumps but denies them coverage for the infant formula or donor milk they medically require to feed their babies.
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Bobbie for Change and The Breasties Lobby for Introduction of ‘Connie’s Bill’ on Capitol Hill After Five-Year Partnership
The Bobbie for Change x Breasties partnership began five years ago with one jarring question: Why does the ACA cover a breast pump for a mom with breast cancer, but not the formula or donor milk she medically requires to feed her baby? When no one in the industry or government had an answer—let alone a solution—Bobbie pledged to create its own solution for these moms and their babies.
In partnership with The Breasties, Bobbie officially launched the Bobbie Breasties Program in 2021, providing a full year of free infant formula to previvors, survivors, and thrivers who medically cannot breastfeed because of breast or gynecologic cancers. To date, the Bobbie has supported 615 mothers over six years, making it the longest-running feeding equity program for families impacted by breast or gynecological cancers.
Bobbie and The Breasties have co-created and inspired the “Constance C. McDaniel Medically Necessary Infant Formula and Donor Milk Act” (aka Connie’s Bill), a landmark three-year pilot to begin to close this glaring loophole, named in honor of one of the original Bobbie Breasties, Connie, who died from breast cancer in 2025. The proposal, which is working to secure bipartisan co-leads, would help to cover infant formula and donor milk for parents who cannot medically breastfeed–including those impacted by a cancer diagnosis or preventative surgery. To date, the bill has been endorsed by 177 medical professionals across the country.
“It borders impossible to put into words what transpired; the events, the timeline, the feelings, and what the consequences of all of that would be,” said Matt McDaniel, Connie’s husband and father of two. “We can speculate but we simply don’t know. Connie was on a mission and Bobbie was right there to answer the call and my son is better for it.”
The bill itself is a marker of the power of the Bobbie for Change x Breasties partnership that has continued for over five years – and what a true model for change looks like when private sector and nonprofit organizations work together, arm in arm, towards a shared goal. It is this exact model that has fueled the expansion of Bobbie for Change since its inception, moving into issues like federal paid leave, the maternal health crisis, infant nutrition, and more.
“Before we even had a product on the shelf, we said we’d fight like hell to fix this glaring gap, and today, we are bringing that fight to the halls of Congress,” said Laura Modi, CEO and Co-Founder of Bobbie and mom of four. “We always knew that sponsoring feeding journeys for these families was a temporary bridge. By taking this fight to Capitol Hill, we are moving beyond giveback and toward justice. We are proving that when private innovation and non-profit advocacy unite, we can create the kind of lasting, structural change that ensures no parent ever has to choose between their health and their baby’s nutrition again.”
“Our partnership with Bobbie for Change is a powerful example of what happens when a for-profit company chooses to fight alongside a non-profit to address a systemic injustice. For five years, Bobbie hasn’t just been a donor; they’ve been in the trenches with us, providing a lifeline to hundreds of families when the system failed them,” said Allie Brumel, COO and Co-Founder of The Breasties and mom of two. “By collaborating with the members of Congress to draft this bill together, we’re taking our advocacy to the next level. This is what long-lasting change looks like in practice: it’s the evolution of an urgent question into a piece of federal legislation that will hopefully outlast us all. We’re proving that when you build a community around a shared mission, you can create something far bigger than we ever could have imagined.”
“For so many moms, the decision to breastfeed is one that is deeply personal, but too often, diseases like cancer take this choice away from them. It’s more important than ever that parents who need these nutritious products for their newborns out of medical necessity can get them,” said Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz, Sponsor of Connie’s Bill. “I applaud Bobbie for Change, the Breasties, and the McDaniel family for their relentless advocacy on an issue that has gone overlooked for too long. I look forward to continuing this partnership and ensuring the Constance C. McDaniel Medically Necessary Infant Formula and Donor Milk Act becomes law.”
On May 20th, a group of Bobbie Breasties, past and present, will meet with lawmakers to share their stories and lobby for the bill’s introduction. Bobbie for Change is documenting every moment of the hill day to activate its community of hundreds of thousands of parents, urging them to contact their representatives and help close this policy gap. Bobbie for Change’s goal is to send 6,400 letters to Congress and the organization created a Write-Your-Rep tool to make it easy to get involved. Visit Bobbie for Change to write your rep today.
About Bobbie for Change Bobbie For Change is the social impact and policy arm of Bobbie, founded to drive generational change in how society supports modern parenthood. With a mission to advance feeding equity, improve maternal health, and pass policies supporting modern parenthood, like paid family + medical leave. Bobbie for Change uses legislation, activism, and community support to advance change and. co-creates programs like the Bobbie Breasties, advocating for insurance coverage of formula and donor milk for parents impacted by breast or gynecologic cancers, and develops toolkits, campaigns, and partnerships to ensure every parent has access to safe, supported infant feeding. For more information, visit bobbieforchange.org.
About The Breasties Founded in 2018, The Breasties is the first all-inclusive nonprofit dedicated to creating community and connection for those impacted by breast and gynecologic cancers, including survivors, previvors, thrivers, and caregivers. Built on the belief that community is treatment, The Breasties has grown from a grassroots network into a global movement reaching tens of thousands through retreats, digital programs, educational resources, and advocacy efforts. As a 501(c)(3), the organization is committed to ensuring no one faces cancer alone by building equitable access to support, amplifying community voices, and creating spaces for healing, belonging, and connection. For more information, visit thebreasties.org
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