Dorothy: [00:00:00] Let’s Talk About Your Breast, a different kind of podcast presented to you by The Rose, a breast center of excellence, and a Texas treasure. You’re gonna hear frank discussions about tough topics, and you’re gonna learn why knowing about your breast could save your life.
This year, The Rose achieved a once in a lifetime milestone. Since we were granted our nonprofit status in July of 1986, we have served 1 million people. That’s 1 million women and men who received direct medical services, either a mammogram diagnostic procedure, biopsy assistance into treatment through patient navigation, 1 million people.
Now when I think about it, that number would be a lot [00:01:00] higher if we added all the people we’ve reached through education programs, health fairs for the general public. We’ve done thousands of in-services for medical professionals, seminars from mammography technologists, and most recently we’re reaching thousands through our Let’s Talk About Your Breast podcast, and now it’s in both English and Spanish.
1 million served. I am proud. I am so very proud of our staff and of our physicians. I’m proud of their dedication. I’m proud of their commitment to excellence, and I’m especially proud that our small, standalone nonprofit has made its mark. We had a lot of help along the way from generous people, companies, foundations. And I’m also proud that we’ve used our funding well, and as always, I am grateful for every single [00:02:00] donation. 1 million, but deep in my heart of hearts, I know it is not enough. No matter how many times I hear someone say, The Rose saved my life, I find myself wondering, was there more we could have done?
Could we have wiped out poverty that created this need for our nonprofit? Could we have done more to help find a cure for breast cancer? Could we have changed recommendations more? Maybe. But then again, maybe The Rose is just getting started. 38 years is only a pittance of time in the big scheme of things.
And when I think about all the possibilities ahead. I am excited. I am encouraged. I am ready to [00:03:00] work. Over the years, I have seen so many women and I’ve seen their courage and I’ve seen everything that they have had to go through, and I’ve learned that human beings are indeed the most beautiful when they are most challenged. I’ve seen help come from people who I could never imagine would be so generous, and I’ve seen a heck of a lot of miracles.
Come to think of it, i’ve seen 1 million Miracles, and while we don’t know what lies ahead, I do know that our mission and the work we do are more important and more needed than ever before. As long as breast cancer continues to claim too many lives, as long as there are people who need help, The Rose must continue. The Rose will [00:04:00] continue with our community support, and The Rose will be ready to step up and step in to help.
And maybe that’s enough for now. You can read more about our 1 million milestone in our annual report that is coming out soon, you’ll find it online or it can be mailed to you. Be watching. And thank you so much for listening to Let’s Talk About Your Breasts.
Post-Credits: Thank you for joining us today on Let’s Talk About Your Breasts. This podcast is produced by Speke Podcasting, and brought to you by The Rose. Visit therose.org to learn more about our organization. Subscribe to our podcast. Share episodes with friends and join the conversation on social media using #Letstalkaboutyourbreasts. We welcome your feedback and suggestions. Consider supporting The Rose. Your gift can make the difference to a person in need. And remember, self-care [00:05:00] is not selfish. It’s essential.
