Y-ME was founded in 1978 by breast cancer patients Ann Marcou (1932–2004) and Mimi Kaplan (d. 1983), and began as a hotline operated out of Marcou's Chicago-area home and a support group that met at a local YWCA. The organization was originally named YWCA and Me after its association with the local YWCA and the name was later shortened to Y-ME. Y-ME became a national organization that helped breast cancer patients receive support, access information and make informed decisions about their healthcare. Its hotline was notable for being the only multilingual, round-the-clock support service available in the US and received approximately 40 000 calls per year.