Angie: [00:00:00] Breast cancer gave Maria Boyce a new path, and now she’s helping lead The Rose into its next chapter. Today, you’ll hear from The Rose’s new board chair to talk about advocacy, affordable breast healthcare, and what 40 years of caring for women can teach us about the future. If this conversation inspires you to join us in the fight against breast cancer, please consider making a donation at therose.org.
Welcome, Maria. We’re so glad to have you here today to talk about as you take on a new leadership role with, um, The Rose. You’ve been involved with The Rose for many years, but have just started as our new board chair as of this month and, uh, for the next two years. And I’m delighted to have this opportunity to, to share a little bit more about you and your leadership and your background with our listeners today.
Maria: Thank you. It’s a privilege to be here, and I’m excited to take on this new role and to work closely with you.
Angie: Well, you’ve shared a little bit about your journey, uh, as a breast cancer survivor in [00:01:00] an earlier episode, and today I’m hoping we can focus about the path forward, as you’ve described it, and where that sort of led you to today. And I’m wondering, when you think about your journey so far and having been a, a successful trial attorney and, and then headed into this next portion of your life, how do you describe yourself now to people that you’ve just met?
Maria: I still say that I’m a, a former trial attorney, which was a career that I did for 36 years and absolutely loved, but that now I have the privilege to really put those skills into action and to advocate, uh, on behalf of women with breast cancer, and specifically, uh, with respect to The Rose and other work that I do, um, women who don’t have access to healthcare, and doing what I can to, um, help them have that access in specifically breast healthcare.
Angie: And what does it mean to you to be able to really focus on this in this [00:02:00] part of your life?
Maria: It, it’s really a privilege, Angie. I look back on my experience from being diagnosed with breast cancer. I was, uh, very fortunate to be diagnosed very early, which for me was life-saving. I was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer, and the fact that it was diagnosed early and that I was able to be treated at MD Anderson, um, went through very, uh, aggressive treatment, but was able to emerge with no evidence of cancer.
And I know that the fact that I was able to have annual mammograms as a result of having good health insurance provided by the law firms with which I worked was instrumental in my survival. And so it’s meaningful to me to do what I can to help other women [00:03:00] have similar access to mammograms, because breast cancer is treatable if it can be found early.
Angie: And your commitment to sort of access not just to breast healthcare, but to healthcare in general, um, predates even being diagnosed with such a serious diagnosis. Can you talk a little bit about, about sort of your path to advocacy?
Maria: Absolutely. Y- you know, I inherently believe that healthcare is a right, not a privilege. My husband and I have been involved over the years in access to healthcare. He was very involved and was the chair of the board of Healthcare for the Homeless Houston, and I have been involved for several years with the Episcopal Health Foundation, which is actually a funder of The Rose and is very involved in, um, providing access to care, uh, throughout the Diocese of Texas, which is basically Southeast Texas and then up to Fort Worth. So [00:04:00] it’s, it’s really been a passion of ours. Um, again, coming back to that fundamental belief that access to healthcare is a right, not a privilege.
Angie: Certainly that’s The Rose’s mission as well, is to ensure great access. What led you to, to The Rose specifically?
Maria: I first became aware of The Rose through, uh, a friend and a fellow director of the Episcopal Health Foundation, Debbie Robinson. Debbie was on the board of The Rose, um, was passionate about its mission And so I learned about The Rose through Debbie, and the initial CEO, the founding CEO of the Episcopal Health Foundation, really a thought leader in health equity, is Elena Marks. Elena was a patient of The Rose. Um, that’s where she– This is where she gets her annual mammograms. And, um, sort of those two things came together to [00:05:00] help educate me about The Rose. And then not long after finding out about The Rose, I, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Angie: Oh, my goodness. Well, Elena Marks has an excellent podcast-
Maria: Yes …
Angie: and I hope that listeners will go back and listen to that as well. She is a wonderful source of knowledge even today, um, particularly around advocacy. And so you, you learned about The Rose, you sort of got involved. How did you come to join the board?
Maria: In talking to Debbie and in talking to our founding CEO, Dorothy, about The Rose’s mission, um, I felt really drawn to The Rose. Um, drawn to, uh, the idea that perhaps I could do something to help, uh, women who, uh, are both insured, underinsured, and also uninsured, um, gain access to, um, breast healthcare, and again, specifically to mammograms. It is particularly difficult for some [00:06:00] women to have annual mammograms because of distance, because of a lack of access. And the different things that The Rose is doing to try to bridge that gap, um, are so important. Yeah.
Angie: Is there a particular moment or story that stands out to you since you’ve gotten involved with The Rose?
Maria: You know, one thing that I– I don’t think I’ll ever forget this story that I heard. Just a little bit of background. So when women have to undergo surgery for breast cancer, the, the two most common treatments are a lumpectomy, which is the removal of the cancer, but the preserving of the breast, or a mastectomy, which is the removal of a breast.
Usually, when the cancer is smaller and confined, a lumpectomy is appropriate, but it’s always followed standard of care by radiation. [00:07:00] Radiation is usually given two, three, four, five weeks every day for a short period of time, but you have to go every day. And I remember Dorothy Gibbons telling me a story that some women who would be able to have a lumpectomy to preserve the breast Are almost forced to choose a mastectomy because they’re not able to take the time out of their schedule, off of work-
Angie: Yeah.
Maria: Away from their family, away from earning wages to do the radiation treatment. And to me, that’s just fundamentally wrong, Angie.
Angie: Yeah.
Maria: That, that our, our society, the way we have s- we have, um, set up Are mo- are-
Angie: Monetized …
Maria: exactly, makes a woman make a choice about her body that she wouldn’t have to make if she had a different situation.
Angie: Yeah.
Maria: That, to me, is [00:08:00] completely unacceptable, and it makes me just fight every day for equality so that women can make the choice that I was able to make- to have the lumpectomy followed by radiation.
Angie: My goodness, that is a powerful story.
Maria: Yeah.
Angie: And again, there are so many of them that have, um, uh, The Rose has made such a difference over the last 40 years in being able to save lives, but also give women more options during, during times that are just m- the most difficult situations they could face. I’m wondering about being asked to be the board chair and being involved with our fantastic board. How, how, how’s that experience been for you?
Maria: Um, uh, it’s a true privilege. Um, the opportunity to work with you, uh, as you become our, our second CEO, um, has been such a privilege. Uh, the opportunity to follow, uh, Shannon Weetsadepp as board [00:09:00] chair, she, um, was such a role model for me. I was able to serve as her vice chair for two years and really learn from her. She is a remarkable leader.
Angie: Yeah.
Maria: And, and has really helped me learn about The Rose, and to be able to be the chair of what I would say is one of the best nonprofit boards in this city-
Angie: Absolutely
Maria: … uh, is remarkable. The expertise of our board, our 17 directors represent the finest in the legal community, the medical community, the finance community, the HR community, professionals in the nonprofit community, and to be able to serve on this board is a privilege, and, um, I’m hoping to, um, honor their legacy and The Rose’s legacy as board chair for the next two years.
Angie: Yeah. We’ve been [00:10:00] reflecting a lot on the last 40 years. I feel like we’re in such a strong position with such a strong board. I’m excited about our partnership, and I’ve been thinking a lot about the last 40 years and how things have changed. What- how do you think things have changed since The Rose came in, into creation?
Maria: I think we have done a wonderful job of not only serving women, um, who would otherwise not be able to have access to breast healthcare, but also Um, expanding the knowledge of that deficit, um, in, in different communities. Um, and again, we’re not just in Houston. I mean, we represent-
Angie: That’s right …
Maria: dozens of counties, and, and-
Angie: 45 counties.
Maria: 45 counties, and, and recognize the challenges not only within our city limits, but outside of our city limits and in rural communities as well. Um, and so I think that we have [00:11:00] brought forth an awareness of the need, um, to expand care to uninsured and under-insured women, um, but also providing, um, again, the top tier of breast healthcare to, to all women.
Angie: Yeah. One of the things that was really shocking to me is as we go into adjacent counties from Harris County, there are, there are counties that have no standing, free-standing mammography machines. Um, and so that’s a real barrier for women who have really busy lives, maybe don’t have even the resources to drive a couple of counties over to be able, to be able to access care. And so it’s a privilege to be able to, to help shape and focus that work for the ne- so as we move into the future. I’m wondering about what challenges, you mentioned a few of the challenges that still persist, but as we sort of look ahead for the next 40 years, what do you think is the opportunity for The Rose to continue to sorta grow and to, um, and to [00:12:00] serve more women?
Maria: I think that we have the fundamentals that we need. We are very clear on our mission, and the need continues to be great. I am excited as I look forward under your leadership and under the, uh, leadership of our board, uh, to continue to expand, uh, the work that we’re doing. Um, you know, as you know, Angie, not only is providing mammograms to women who, um, don’t have access to them, that’s a challenge, but if a woman is diagnosed, uh, with breast cancer, um, ensuring that she can get the care that she needs, um, is a challenge.
And so I, I so admire the fact that we provide patient advocates for women to help them through the challenges [00:13:00] of being diagnosed with breast cancer and obtaining the care, uh, that is needed from diagnosis all the way through, through treatment. It is a bewildering experience, I can tell you that, and I’m so glad that we provide, uh, the support from diagnosis, um, all the way through.
Angie: As you think about sort of your, your two years as board president, as board chairman, uh, what priorities do, would you like to focus on? Are there things that really stand out that as we, as we look ahead that, that would be most meaningful for you?
Maria: I really see my role as board chair of supporting you, supporting your colleagues. Um, the expertise, um, that you and the professionals who work at The Rose provide is really unparalleled, and I’m excited to do what we can to, to bring the expertise of the [00:14:00] board, um, to bear to support you and to support our mission as we move forward. I think part of that is continuing to, uh, support The Rose and ensuring that we have Uh, continue to have the financial support to do our mission, um, and to serve the women who, um, are not otherwise served in our community.
Angie: Yeah, I think that’s so important. I think as I sort of look out to the future, you know, really strengthening our financial core and making sure that we have a wide base of support is so important so that we can continue to respond to the needs in our community. Peop- we– There are– Our partners are asking us to grow, to be able to provide more service. The number of women that are becoming uninsured each year is actually increasing, and so the demand for our services, we would like to grow to be able to respond to that need. And so building a wider, um, base of support to be able to do that is something that [00:15:00] I’m excited to work together on and to be able to grow, and we’ve talked about a number of ways to do that, including, um, expanding the ways that people can support The Rose through perhaps legacy giving and some other opportunities. And I know you and your family have considered, um, supporting The Rose, and I didn’t know if you’d would like to share a little bit about, about your commitment.
Maria: Absolutely. Uh, we made a decision to provide a legacy gift to The Rose, namely a designation in my husband’s and my will of a gift after we are gone, um, to The Rose to play a small role in its continuation in the future to serve women after we’re gone. And, and we believe in the mission and, uh, want to do what we can to ensure that, uh, women in the future will, um, have access to the services at The Rose. And [00:16:00] it’s a, a family decision, and we feel privileged to support this organization in that way. I’m excited about the initiatives that you have and your leadership as we expand the ways that people can support The Rose, um, through time, talent, and treasure.
Angie: Well, thank you so much, and it means a lot, and I’m excited that we’re gonna put more emphasis. Many of, uh, you know, I come from an arts background where legacy giving and, and people remembering, uh, really demonstrating their values through their assets, through ways to support has made a profound difference. And I think as we look at cha- the changing landscape of healthcare, we look at The Rose looking back at forty years, but then looking where we wanna be the next forty years and saying, you know, we really wanna be here in perpetuity. We wanna be able to serve women. I think this is a great next step, and I’m so grateful for you and your family for sharing that you’re making this commitment, um, and your personal support as we [00:17:00] sort of expand these opportunities. I think that means so much.
Maria: Well, it’s a privilege to do so. Thank you for providing the opportunity.
Angie: Thank you. I’m wondering about, sorta to close, what, um, what you would say to a woman who’s been putting off a mammogram or been putting off sort of healthcare for herself. What would you say to that woman?
Maria: I would say that if you won’t do it for yourself because your life is busy, your work is demanding, your family, um, your family needs your time, I would say to do it for your family. Um, to do it for your children, to do it for your friends, to do it for your loved ones, um, because they need you. They need you.
Angie: That’s right.
Maria: And, um, it is important to take care of yourself, to take this preventative care, and to not be afraid, because breast cancer, again, is a, is a highly curable disease if it can be found early.
Angie: Thank you, [00:18:00] Maria. We appreciate you being here today. It’s been a pleasure to have this conversation.
Maria: Thank you, Angie.
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 hashtag 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 is not selfish. It’s essential.
