Dorothy: [00:00:00] At The Rose, we find many times of the year that we are thankful and none is more important than this time right now. And it is because of you, the donor, you, the supporter, you, our listeners. Today I want you to sit back and hear some of the stories that you made possible. Think about the women who didn’t have access, the women who were diagnosed, the women who are celebrating all the holidays of the year because of you, who chose to support The Rose.
Let’s Talk About Your Breasts, a different kind of podcast presented to you by The Rose. the Breast Center of Excellence, and a Texas treasure. You’re going to hear frank discussions about tough topics, and you’re going to learn why knowing about your breast could save your life.
Elda: [00:01:00] Cassandra’s story is one of courage and hope. After postponing her mammogram for years, she discovered The Rose and learned she was 10 years overdue. Soon after a diagnosis of breast cancer changed her life, she found the strength to compose a song about The Rose. Her journey reminds us all to make our health a priority.
Cassandra: The Rose was so diligent in how they did things. Because 10 years ago, I got dropped through the crack somewhere. 10 years ago with something sitting here. How did that happen? So I was sitting at home and I’m gonna need me an army standing right here beside me. If I’m gonna make it through victoriously. When I needed flowers, [00:02:00] God sent me a rose, a rose, a rose I suppose, you know they saved my life.
We gotta get in formation here. I’m gonna need me an army, standing right here beside me. Lord, if I’m going to make it through victoriously,
Army, Soldiers, Worshippers, and Believers, Pastors and Prayers, I’m calling on you to pray me through. And I just, I just start writing. When things get rough and crazy, I just start writing. [00:03:00] And here I am ten years later with this situation that’s about to be resolved. But if it hadn’t been for a flyer, a mobile unit, and someone bubbly like Chris with the, right now with pink in her hair. Just being the wonderful bubbly person that she is, it’s just the support system and everything right now, I’m just trying to prepare my, you know, just trying to prepare my mind to go through this because I’m going to have to have radiation every day for six weeks. And I’m just, I’m just, you know, thankful that it’s gonna be okay.
Elda: When Eliza discovered a lump in her breast, she knew she had to act quickly. And even though she was uninsured and living nearly [00:04:00] 100 miles away from The Rose, she is thankful to The Rose and the secret grant whom she says saved her life.
Eliza: The Rose was awesome to me. And I tell everybody everywhere I go how you guys treated me and how you took good care of me.
I didn’t have insurance. I didn’t know what I was going to do. There’s not no simple disease. This was life threatening disease. And they didn’t hesitate. She didn’t hesitate to say, okay, I’m going to get you somebody who’s going to donate. And that was, that was awesome to me.
Elda: Gretchen’s story highlights the thoughtful accommodations and wheelchair accessible facilities that The Rose provides. Her experience is a testament to The Rose’s commitment to providing exceptional care for all women.
Gretchen: All of the rooms. are very well laid out for people in wheelchairs, um, I appreciated that. Because [00:05:00] they let me in the room, they asked me if I needed any help, and I let them know that I didn’t. So then they were patient and they gave me the time that I needed to, to take care of everything. And then they escorted me into, uh, the room where I got the mammogram. And again, they asked, did I need to be pushed?
And at that point, I think I accepted the offer for them to push my wheelchair. And then we were in the room and the, the equipment, I was very impressed that it lowered enough or more than I remembered from the past, um, experiences that I’ve had, that I didn’t have to strain or I wasn’t uncomfortable because the machine was different and then the lighting in the room was calming and the temperature in the room was right. And the two technicians that were there to help me were very polite. They asked if they could help me do certain things and they were [00:06:00] respectful. And that was tremendous.
Elda: Maria is another grateful patient. As a teacher, she found it easy to schedule her mammogram during her off period by using one of our mobile mammogram coaches that came directly to the school where she worked.
Maria: If the mobile unit had not shown up to my school, I probably would still be waiting on the mammogram. And it’s something that would probably still be circling my mind, and I would be saying, next time, next time. So I’m glad that We have that flexibility that the unit comes to us and so there really is no, no excuse to not get it done because it is covered by our insurance and it is so quick and so easy to do.
Making the appointment was very easy. It was just, uh, through an email link that gets sent to us and we just pick a time. Um, which normally again is done during our, our off period. So it’s [00:07:00] a very, very easy to do. And then once you’re there, you, because I, it is covered by our insurance, we just, you know, show our insurance card. They take a few details on there. And then the results of the mammogram were mailed to me a couple of weeks later. And I’m happy to report that it was clear, you know, in hindsight. And now having my results and going through the whole process, I am so thankful that, that I did it. And it’s something that I’ll continue to do every year from here on out.
Elda: Marian, a breast cancer survivor and avid skydiver found support and hope at The Rose after facing a diagnosis of breast cancer without insurance. Determined to help others, she founded Jump for The Rose, a skydiving event that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for breast cancer care, combining her love for skydiving with her gratitude for The Rose’s life saving work.
Marian: I would tell women that they need to look and see what’s out there because there is a lot of help out there. I was [00:08:00] amazed at how much there is. And now that I know so much more about the nonprofit side of things, there’s a lot of places out there that will help you.
But as far as I’m concerned, the place that helps with the breast cancer, I think The Rose is the number one place. I really do. And this is all they do. They’ve got all the top equipment and the doctors are awesome. I love all the doctors here, and they’re just, especially Dixie, and as technology has improved, they have kept right up with it and improved their technology, just like the 3D mammograms.
That’s all they do here now. When I first came here, there was no 3D mammogram. Everything is improving. I, I, I just wonder how in the world they do it. Sometimes it still seems amazing that, A non profit can be this great and have all of this.
Elda: [00:09:00] When Pearl received the news about her breast cancer diagnosis, she received it knowing she was without insurance for the first time in her life. Unsure of where to turn, she found The Rose. Pearl’s journey reminds us that no one should have to face breast cancer without support.
Pearl: So, at the moment they tell me that, Ms. Birkenfeld has breast cancer. I, I know that I don’t have insurance. And, I’m weeping. Quietly, but weeping because I’ve always had insurance. From the point of my first job, it my, so I moved from my parents’ insurance to having my own and there wasn’t a break. So now I’m at the point in my life where I don’t have insurance and I have a cancer diagnosis.
So in my mind [00:10:00] I feel, uh, really like kind of outta control because. I wasn’t in control. So, I don’t have insurance. And I know how it feels for other people to, you know, they don’t have insurance, what do they do? And so now I’m in this space. What am I going to do? Not knowing that there was help for me, because I had never been in that situation before.
So it’s so, it’s extremely overwhelming to find yourself in that place. So in that moment, I’m just, I’m weeping uncontrollably. And the lady that was helping me, so nice to me. She understood, she held my hand, she walked me through it. And I apologized to her the entire time because it. It feels like I could not [00:11:00] stop the tears. But this lady was wonderful to me. She really was.
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 #Let’sTalkAboutYourBreasts. 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.
