Thursday, July 22, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Two Houston Women – One an Author, One an Actress – To Cross Paths July 31 When Actress Plays Author at Main Street Theater
Two Houston women – one a popular actress, the other a New York Times bestselling author –will cross paths July 31, when the actress plays the author in a cancer-themed performance at the Main Street Theater in the Montrose area.
The play is based on the humorous and poignant book of the same name by Joni Rodgers who wrote about her personal experience with cancer. The author lives in The Woodlands area today, but was a Champions/FM 1960 resident when she wrote the memoir.
Rodgers will be in the audience watching Lisa Hamilton’s performance in the production of “Bald in the Land of Big Hair.” Hamilton, who has performed at the Alley Theater and other local venues, lives in Clear Lake.
Pink Ribbons Project, a nonprofit organization that supports the fight against breast cancer, is presenting the event, which will benefit The Rose, a 24-year-old nonprofit breast cancer organization that provides screening, diagnosis and access to treatment for all women, regardless of their ability to pay.
Steve Ford, son of the late President Gerald Ford, will be a featured guest. He is attending the event in honor of his 92-year-old mother Betty Ford, widow of the former President. The former first lady, who lives in Rancho Mirage, CA, famously and publicly fought breast cancer in 1974 while her husband was in office.
Houston-based Hope Tree Home Loans and KUHF-FM, Houston Public Radio, are major sponsors. Tickets are available for $100. Sponsorship opportunities are available starting at $1,000.
Event Facts:
Bald in the Land of Big Hair
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Main Street Theater – at Chelsea Market
4617 Montrose Blvd.
Houston
6 p.m. – Reception
7 p.m. - Curtain Call
Panel discussion following – with Steve Ford, Joni Rodgers, Dorothy Weston Gibbons, Co-Founder and CEO of The Rose and Susan Rafte, Founder Survivor of Pink Ribbons Project.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Fear No Excuse to Avoid Mammograms, Says Rose Galleria Physician
by Rae Miller
So when any part of that is threatened, fear sets in.
Some women are afraid to get mammograms because they're worried the results might dictate their future.
Dr. Janet Hoagland, a physician who practices at The Rose, a Houston nonprofit breast cancer screening organization, understands this fear. She experienced it herself.
"Sometimes it's overwhelming," Hoagland admits. "It's easier to be an ostrich and put your head in the sand and hope it goes away. Getting breast cancer means losing control. It's out of your hands. You have to depend on other people to give good advice and do the right procedures,” she says. “That's why it's so scary."
In Hoagland’s case – scary or not – she knew she had to go for a mammogram. Her mother died of breast cancer at age 44, her grandmother at 48.
Hoagland's mammogram revealed a lump with the potential to grow into breast cancer. She took control of the situation and made the decision to undergo a preventive double mastectomy – at age 27.
The reasons women are scared to get a mammogram are as varied as the women themselves.
One fear is exposure to radiation.
"A mammogram gives no more radiation than sitting in the window seat of an airplane flying from New York to California," Hoagland says. "That's definitely no reason to be afraid of a mammogram."
After losing her mother to breast cancer at a young age, Houston resident Helia Forouzan, 29, had her first mammogram a few years ago in Austin.
She was scared.
"What if I had breast cancer? Would I ever have a boyfriend? Would he leave me if I had to have a double mastectomy? What if, what if, what if? It was driving me to distraction so I finally just went for the mammogram."
After everything appeared to be fine, she was so relieved she didn't even bother with monthly self breast exams anymore.
But later, without even trying to, she came across a lump.
Once again, she was afraid of what the mammogram would reveal. She worried about the two big "C"s – Cancer and the Cost of treating it.
Forouzan did have cancer, diagnosed by Dr. Hoagland at The Rose.
Hoagland advised her patient that the last thing she should worry about was the cost. She should only be concerned about getting better.
The Rose patient navigators helped Forouzan find appropriate treatment.
"Now, I always tell women, ‘it’s better to know than not know,’” Forouzan says. "You have the mammogram and either you have cancer or you don't. And you go from there."
And remember, when detected early, breast cancer has a 98 percent survival rate.
Some women are afraid of the discomfort or pain of having a mammogram. And there's no avoiding the fact that a mammogram requires squishing – or "compression," if you prefer the medical term.
The Rose radiologist Dr. Ward Parsons can't technically or honestly say "this won't hurt a bit," but he does say there are certain things women awaiting a mammogram can do.
Women can take an over-the-counter pain reliever an hour before the appointment to take the edge off, he says. Or if she knows her breasts are tender at certain times of the month, schedule the mammogram for when they're not.
Unless it's an emergency, that is. “If you feel a lump, go right away,” says Parsons.
While the size of a woman’s breasts has little to do with the risk of cancer, it does have a lot to do with positioning and getting a good mammogram, Parsons says.
"Extremely small breasts take a little more work,” he says. “But we do men, and it works. So if we can do men, then we can do women," says Parsons. "Extremely large breasts might require additional images, but they are generally more fatty and therefore less sensitive."
Parsons says his technologists often ask patients how a mammogram compares to a dental cleaning or a pap smear.
"Women usually say they would rather have a mammogram any day," says Parsons.
Another tip: If you're still a little leery, try to schedule lunch with a friend after the appointment – it will give you something to look forward to. Or, take somebody with you to the mammogram.
That's what Houston resident Mary Jo Rapini did.
"At one time I thought I had a lump on my breast and had to go back for numerous tests," Rapini said. "It turned out to be okay, but what really helped me was my husband with me, reminding me that no matter what it was, we would handle it together. It gave me confidence."
If you're still scared to go for a mammogram, think of your own mother – or your children.
"You're teaching your children that you are taking care of your body, so it sets a precedent," says Rapini, a licensed professional counselor, author and psychotherapist who used to counsel patients at Southwest Cancer Center in Lubbock. "Mom is the catalyst of the family."
That is exactly Dr. Janet Hoagland's point.
"If we can save the mother," she says, "we can save the family."
The Rose has two locations: The Rose Medical Plaza in southeast Houston and the new Rose Galleria on West Loop South.
For an appointment, call (713) 668-2996. For more information about The Rose, visit the organization’s website, www.therose.org.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Houston Radiologist Daniel Roubein Centers Life on Family, Faith and Nonprofit Mammography Center
by Rae Miller
"There is nothing routine about it," Roubein says. "It's never hard for me to remember that."
Roubein is the radiologist at The Rose Galleria, a nonprofit breast cancer center that provides uninsured and insured women mammography screening, diagnosis and early access to treatment.
He remembers the first time he heard about The Rose. It was during a casual telephone conversation.
"I said hold on, wait a minute, I really want to hear more about this place," Roubein says. "As I learned more about the mission of The Rose and the concept that insured women can get topnotch care while at the same time provide an entryway to women who have no insurance, I felt it was a perfect match for me."
The Rose Galleria
In late 2009, Roubein joined The Rose Galleria. In February 2010, the state-of-the-art, 8,000 square-foot mammography center celebrated its grand opening. The Rose, a 24-year-old organization that is funded by numerous corporations and Houston foundations including Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Houston Affiliate, operates another diagnostic center in southeast Houston and a mobile mammography program that serves Harris and eight other counties.
"Things fell into place at The Rose Galleria like it was meant to be," Roubein says.
Breast imaging has been a big part of his 20-year radiology career.
In 2005, he opened a private practice in Bellaire. In the same year, he launched Radiology Reading Centers of America.
Before that, in 1993, he was staff radiologist and chairman of the Department of Radiology at Christus Hospital-St. Elizabeth, a 400-bed medical center in Beaumont.
Roubein, a native of Highland Park, N.J., is a senior member of the American Society of Neuroradiology. He also holds memberships in the Radiological Society of North America, the Texas Medical Association, the Houston Radiological Society and the Society of Breast Imaging.
A Writer
He is also a writer.
"It is possible," he says, "to take complicated medical topics and present them in a way that sparks interest."
He does just that as a guest medical columnist for The Galveston County Daily News and in his weekly medical columns for Absolutely! Katy, Absolutely! Memorial and Absolutely! In the Loop. The magazines are published in print and online.
His columns, titled "The Radiologist's View," can also be found on his Facebook page, also called “The Radiologist’s View.”
Roubein, who lives in Bellaire, is active in Houston's Jewish community.
He is a member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston's Yom Limmud committee and holds several leadership positions at Congregation Beth Yeshurun, including chairman of the membership committee, vice president of the synagogue’s board of trustees and vice president of the board of trustees for Beth Yeshurun Day School. He is also a member of the school’s capital campaign committee and a lay leader for the Congregation’s Saturday morning sanctuary services.
Roubein Family
Roubein, 47, has been married for 15 years to Toiee. The couple has three sons – Zachary, 12, David, 10 and Jacob, 8.
He not only attends his boys’ baseball games, he also shows up for practice and coaches Little League.
Roubein wants his sons to be able to say “when I was growing up, my dad was there. My goal is to have dinner with my family every single night."
He says he can balance it all because he learned from the best – his own parents. His mother Blanche is a retired teacher who lives in Houston.
His father, Isaac Roubein, PhD, who passed away in May 2009, retired as a deputy director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
"My father had an incredible work ethic," Roubein says. "He was a very humble person. He didn't talk much about his accomplishments, but he was a respected researcher." He considers his father to be one of his greatest mentors.
"My father was an unbelievable family man and completely dedicated to his Jewish faith," says Roubein.
Roubein is also dedicated. In 2008, he earned a Master of Science degree in Jewish Studies with a concentration in Talmud and Medieval Jewish Studies from Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies in Chicago.
Women Should Not Die of Breast Cancer
He earned his medical degree in 1987 from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in Shreveport, where he also won two research grants. In 1991, he earned the Outstanding Resident Achievement Award at LSU while completing his residency in diagnostic radiology.
He has held other jobs. Over the years he has worked as a Kroger cashier, an organic chemistry teaching assistant, a medical lab assistant, a waiter and a men's clothing salesman. From 1981 to 1983 he worked as a licensed realtor selling and managing commercial real estate.
But today, it is his work as radiologist for The Rose Galleria that has his heart.
“Women should die of old age,” says Roubein. “Not breast cancer.”
For more information about The Rose, please visit the organization’s website, www.therose.org. To schedule an appointment at The Rose Galleria or The Rose Southeast, call (713) 668-2996.
Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund Awards Grant for Breast Cancer Awareness Program to The Rose
The Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund has awarded a $60,000 one-year grant to The Rose, a non-profit breast cancer organization, to increase awareness of the life-saving benefits of early detection of breast cancer. It is the seventh year that the program has received funding from the Avon Foundation for Women to support its work on this important health issue, and in recognition of the excellence of the program.
The breast health program at The Rose will educate Houston-area women and provide them with low or no cost mammograms and clinical breast exams through the Empower HerÒ Sponsorship Program. This program is vital because Houston ranks as the highest city in the nation for uninsured people.
Last year, The Rose provided 27,837 screening and diagnostic procedures for those able to pay; 15,680 screening and diagnostic procedures at no charge to low income, uninsured women; 7,621 free patient navigation services to other treatment patients without insurance. This program provides breast cancer detection services to those who cannot afford the costs of these potentially life saving procedures.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in the U.S., and the leading single cause of death overall in women between the ages of 20 and 55. Nationwide, there is a new diagnosis every three minutes and a death from breast cancer every fourteen minutes. In the Houston area, one woman dies from breast cancer every day. While advances have been made in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure, early detection still affords the best opportunity for successful treatment. Programs such as the Empower HerÒ Sponsorship Program at The Rose help ensure that all women have access to early detection information and options, even poor and medically underserved women.
“We are so pleased that the Avon Foundation for Women shares our mission and has chosen to support our program. With these funds we will be able to serve hundreds of women—for some our services will mean saving their lives.” says Dorothy Weston Gibbons, The Rose Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer.
Since 1993, the Avon Foundation for Women has awarded more than 1,300 grants to community-based breast health programs across the United States, including The Rose Empower Her® Sponsorship Program at The Rose. These programs are dedicated to educating underserved women about breast cancer and linking them to early detection screening services.
The Avon Foundation for Women and Breast Cancer Crusade
The Avon Foundation for Women, an accredited 501(c)(3) public charity, was founded in 1955 to improve the lives of women and their families. Now past the half century milestone, the Foundation brings this mission to life through the Speak Out Against Domestic Violence program and the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade, which raises funds and awareness to advance access to care and finding a cure for breast cancer, with a focus on the medically underserved. Since 1992 the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade has raised and awarded more than $640 million worldwide for medical research; access to care; support services; screening and diagnostics; and education and awareness. The largest fundraising program in the U.S. is the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer series.
The Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund
The Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund is administered by Cicatelli Associates Inc. to support community-based, non-profit breast health programs across the country. The Fund's National Advisory Board selected the Empower Her® Sponsorship Program at The Rose as one of 125 new grant recipients nationwide in the 2010 cycle of Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund grants. These organizations were chosen based on their ability to effectively reach women, particularly minority, low-income, and older women, who are often medically underserved.
For more Information
For more information on the Empower Her® Sponsorship Program at The Rose, please call 281.484.4708 or visit www.TheRose.org. For more information about breast cancer, contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345 or www.cancer.org, or the National Cancer Institute at 1-800-4-CANCER or www.cancer.gov.
To learn more about the Avon Foundation for Women, call 1-866-505-AVON or visit www.avonfoundation.org, where you can also access the free printable Breast Health Resource Guide in English and Spanish. For information or to register or support the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer events, visit www.avonwalk.org or call 1-888-540-WALK.
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