Community Theater, Breast Cancer, and the Louise McBee Circle of Wreaths
Susan has been connected to The Rose since the mid-1980s, when her boss at Texas Commerce Bank handed her a stack of newspaper articles and asked her to learn everything she could about a surgeon named Dr. Dixie Melillo. That assignment turned into a decades-long relationship with The Rose, years of emceeing fundraising style shows, and an unbroken commitment to the mission that continues today. She launched the Louise McBee Circle of Life Circle of Wreaths, an annual wreath auction run entirely by Art Park Players volunteers in honor of her mother. Her message throughout the years is simple, yet profound: everyone carries a light, and even the smallest flame can be the brightest thing in someone’s darkest moment.
Attorney, CPA, Philanthropist, and Breast Cancer Survivor: Marilyn Sims
Marilyn is an attorney, CPA, and president of the Bill and Helen Crowder Foundation, the private foundation whose generosity helped build The Rose’s podcast studio. She has been a Rose patient since the late 1970s, when she came in for her very first mammogram after moving to Houston. Decades later, she found herself in a very different role, as a Stage III HER2 positive breast cancer patient. Her advice is simple and direct: check yourself between mammograms, get second opinions, take care of yourself first, and know that The Rose and organizations like it exist so that every woman, insured or not, has a path to care.
Peace, Love, and The Rose – A Sneak Peek at Shrimp Boil 2026
Special Events Manager Shannon McNair takes us behind the scenes of The Rose’s annual Shrimp Boil, a nearly 40‑year tradition where fresh Gulf shrimp, auctions, raffles, and desserts turn a casual Saturday with 800 of your closest friends and family into a lifeline for breast health for women in our 45-county service area.
Blindness, Breast Cancer, and Bold Choices: One Woman’s Unyielding Spirit
Jennifer Parrish, Manager of Business Services at the Lighthouse of Houston, joins Dorothy to share her story. Parrish talks about managing work at the Lighthouse of Houston, overcoming transportation issues for treatments, and addressing misconceptions around breast cancer.
Access to Treatment Takes More Than a Pathology Report
Being uninsured, speaking a different language, or not understanding a 40-page form should never decide who lives or dies. In this episode, patient navigators Laura Tovar and Elizabeth Esparza walk us through what really happens after an uninsured woman hears “you have breast cancer” at The Rose. They explain how they review applications before diagnosis, sit in the room with the radiologist, and answer the first question they always hear: “How am I going to pay for this?” They also talk about the maze behind programs like Medicaid for Breast and Cervical Cancer and Harris Health, what it takes to keep coverage from lapsing in the middle of chemo, and the extreme steps some families take, from moving counties to divorcing, just to qualify. Along the way, Laura and Elizabeth share what it costs them emotionally to carry these stories, why they sometimes cry with husbands and children, and how quilts, gas cards, summer camps, and rent assistance become part of making sure no woman has to face breast cancer or the paperwork alone.
Following Mom’s Lead by Paying it Forward to The Rose
Jennifer Pareya’s support for The Rose spans more than twenty years. It all started with her mom’s breast cancer experience. Jennifer’s mom Judy—another ardent supporter of The Rose—was diagnosed. After beating breast cancer, she insisted on the family giving back. And they’ve done so tenfold.
A Women’s Bakery, Orphaned Elephants, and Rural Breast Care: Giving With a Bigger Picture
Nonprofit leaders dream of someone walking in and saying, “I’m going to give you a million dollars.” Very few ever see it happen. In this episode, a longtime supporter explains why she chose to fund multiple mobile coaches, help open an East Texas hub, and seed The Rose’s Mammogram to Medical Home program instead of paying for brick and mortar. She talks about dividing her mother’s unrestricted giving fund among education, medical care, and conservation, and why she looks for small organizations whose work sends “tentacles” into whole communities and generations. From a women’s bakery in Africa that feeds thousands of children and sends girls to school, to knowledge mobiles, orphaned elephants, and seed grants for students, she returns over and over to one idea: food and health give people a chance at any future.
Dance, Culture, and Commitment to Breast Cancer Awareness
During this mashup episode, you’ll hear from supporters of Hats and Henna High Tea, a community driven event that celebrates survivors, supports patients, and raises critical funds for The Rose. These are supporters, caregivers, and champions. They talk about mothers and mothers in law facing breast cancer, the sacrifices families make, and the resilience that shows up in hospital rooms, small businesses, and dance floors. Hats and Henna Hight Tea brings culture, art, and local leadership together to focus on The Rose’s mission.
CPRIT, The Texas Cancer Plan, and You
How does one man’s dedication to community health reshape cancer prevention efforts in Texas? Carlton Allen’s passion for public health and population health, sparked during his academic years, led him to an influential role at the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). Through his guidance, CPRIT addresses significant cancer burdens and health disparities statewide. Meanwhile, Allen champions the Texas Cancer Plan as a comprehensive roadmap for continued progress in cancer prevention and care.
She Lost Her Job, Then Found a Lump In Her Breast
Diagnosed with DCIS while underinsured and between jobs, Ayanna Wilcher found compassionate biopsy care at The Rose and chose her own path through mastectomy and multiple opinions. Now, she leads survivor work and Rising in Grace, delivering post mastectomy comfort kits and community.