Actress Opens Door for Much Needed Dialogue

Perhaps you have heard the news of actress Angelina Jolie's decision to have a preventive double mastectomy after learning she carried the BRCA1 gene and had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer. With the surgery, she writes in the New York Times, her risk for breast cancer is now 5%.

This talented and lovely young woman's decision was a very personal one which she chose to publicly share in order to help other women. I hope her mission is accomplished. I hope that dialogues are happening across the U.S. -- and due to her humanitarian work -- maybe even around the world regarding breast cancer and choices we now have the ability to make.

However, I don't want to lose the fact that many women are still unable to make such a choice. Testing for the BRCA genes is expensive and out of the reach of many of the women served by The Rose. While the Supreme Court is set to discuss the patent issues related to the genes, many women who carry it have to settle for living with the unknown.

Knowledge helps put us all on even ground, but economic realities keep us from all having the same choices. I'm glad that information is currently being disseminated in print and across the airwaves as a result of Ms. Jolie's actions. Health care reform has addressed that preventive actions such as the breast screenings we provide at The Rose are covered. But so many women are still uninsured. So many women are still at a loss for how to access not only coverage but information.

That's why The Rose has a commitment to Patient Navigation -- where we connect women with funding and treatment options for which they are usually totally unaware. That's why The Rose has a commitment to the underserved and the uninsured. And that's why we need you. For every three insured women -- women blessed with choices -- we can cover the costs of care for one uninsured. Thank you for making The Rose's quality, breast health care possible.

-- Dorothy Gibbons, Co-Founder and CEO of The Rose

A Pink Day in the Life of The Rose ...

During the process of making origami cranes, the creators often say words of blessings. Carefully folded paper that become stars are sometimes called lucky. Such were the elements on the table for the women taking part in the monthly Pink Days at The Rose Galleria.


Brittany Burch, a therapist at Montrose Center and a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed at 29, had discovered the calming effect of origami as she took up the art form last year. When asked if she would consider sharing an art project with the women who were waiting for diagnostic results at The Rose Galleria, she readily agreed and spent several weeks collecting various shades of pink papers, beads, and charms for the budding origami artists to utilize in making their own creations.

What she didn’t plan on was breaking her foot just days prior to her scheduled Pink Day. But the crutches only slowed her down. Nothing could quite steal her desire to introduce the healing technique.
Her good friend Fiona Dawson happened to be in town from Manhattan and as a journalist/media personality who is always intrigued by the story of a nonprofit making a difference, she was delighted to assist for a few hours of the project.

Both of the women – community leaders who have heard many stories of tragedy and triumph because of both their activism and their professions – teared at the story of another volunteer, Maria.

Maria has been assisting with Pink Days since she started the Community Health Workers certification program at Houston Community College. She was easily familiar with the practices of obtaining photo releases so that the days’ activities could be shared on Facebook. She knows where the coffee is kept and how to make the cookies look particularly pink and enticing on the plate.

What she didn’t know was how to best translate the intricate folds needed to make those cranes and stars into the Spanish that some of the participants required. So she began to practice and learn and soon had her own wall hanging and a flock of cranes. As Maria learned the craft, Fiona, who had just seen a photo of her at the Capitol in Austin with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst urged her to tell her story so that she could capture it on video for her online website.

“We met him for a photo opportunity as part of the Breast Health Advocacy Day in Austin,” she explained. “And as soon as I could, I said something like what we had rehearsed the night before. I told him that as he considered the funds for Breast and Cervical Cancer Services in Texas, he needed to remember my face because my face was the face of breast cancer. I explained that when I got my diagnosis it was a calm and reassuring voice of a Patient Navigator at The Rose who told me I wasn’t alone and I was going to get the care I needed. As an uninsured woman I needed to hear that. When I learned I was cancer free, I quit my job of 15 years and enrolled in the CHW program at HCC. I showed him my certification card and told him, ‘I proudly carry this with me because it certifies that I can help other women like me across the state of Texas. And no woman has to go through cancer alone.’”

Brittany, who knew all too well the parts of Maria’s story related to losing hair and the pain of chemo and radiation, murmured agreement as more of Maria’s background unfolded. When Maria got to the part of how her friends had fashioned a hair piece for her for her folklorico dancing she had continued doing even during chemo and then made their own versions of the headpieces so that she would once again be in step with the group, each of the women at the table wiped a tear.

The day continued and patients came and went, each one convinced they could not do the complex maneuvering to turn sheets of paper into delicate treasures. And each one was proven happily wrong. They turned furrowed brows of focus into faces beaming at their accomplishments and more than one commented on how the time had flown.

As they strung beads and designed necklaces and wall hangings, they sometimes expressed their fears … of what the pain might mean, of going against a doctor who had told them “it was nothing.”

“I told that woman that she should listen to her body, and take care of herself,” Maria said. “I told her she was at the right place. She was at The Rose.”

Pink Days at The Rose are made possible by a grant from Pink Ribbons Project.

Feb. 11 Testimony to House Appropriations on CPRIT Funding

The following is a transcript of Dorothy Gibbons' testimony before the House Appropriations Committee as they look at the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas:

Thank you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of The Rose, a Houston based breast cancer organization.  I am Dorothy Weston Gibbons, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of The Rose.  We are in the business of saving lives, serving over 30,000 women each year with 9,600 uninsured. Since 1986 our work has meant access to treatment for thousands of uninsured women.

In our world, the quiet ones often get lost.   While headlines are screaming about alleged improprieties within three grants, the recipients of the prevention dollars dispensed by Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas are easy to overlook. These are working women, often holding down two jobs yet they still earn less than the 200% poverty rate.  They juggle so many demands, that their personal health needs comes last. I see these quiet women who work long and hard and still don’t have enough for insurance or even the cash price of a mammogram.  They are used to being lost in the shuffle.

But they aren't lost or overlooked at The Rose. We hear their stories.  When I co-founded The Rose we didn’t have October breast cancer months and pink ribbons adorning everything from t-shirts to perfume.  I would like to think after 27 years, the situation might have changed for the uninsured, but it hasn’t.  Women die because of lack of money and access.

As a voice for so many, I must say that in the midst of the uncertainties, these are the things I KNOW to be certain:  

-          Because of CPRIT funds, a total of 4,345 women received care since our first award in March of 2010. (2,739 in the first cycle and 1,606 were in the 3 quarters of this year.)

-          I know that of those 124 cancers that were diagnosed, 43 were first time mammograms and more than half were diagnosed at stage 2 or below. That’s good news in the breast cancer world.

-          I know that 56 of the 124, over 45%, of those cancers were found in women who were under fifty years old.

-          I am certain that without CPRIT, not one of those women would have found care.

-          I know that those women we diagnosed came from throughout Southeast Texas:

§  88 of those diagnosed women live in Harris County

§  7 were from Brazoria County

§  8 were from Fort Bend County

§  8 from Galveston County

§  1 from Liberty, our most difficult case

§  2 from Matagorda County

§  7 from Montgomery county

§  2 from Waller County

§  1 from Wharton County 

-          I know the names of the women who did not have the money for gas or parking at the Medical Center who were able to get to their treatment because of CPRIT transportation funding.

-          I know that CPRIT made it possible for The Rose to serve to rural Texas and now our mobile vans have sites in 24 counties from Matagorda, up through Burleson, across Brazos to San Jacinto and up through San Augustine to Shelby.

-          I know that if CPRIT funds are cut, over 4,000 women in the next two years will not be served.

While CPRIT doesn’t cover treatment, it provided FIVE TIMES as many woman preventive services in that first year than BCCS did. Imagine the impact it is making. When it comes to state supported programs BCCS and CPRIT are all we have—yet it still reached only one fourth of the total uninsured women who turn to us each year. Without those funds, they would not have been served.

I share in the concern, no the outrage, that even one dollar of funding was not used appropriately.  I am thankful for the wisdom and determination in fixing what is wrong with CPRIT. 

Because I know what CPRIT has meant to the women of Texas and as the voice for so many voiceless women, I implore you:  We cannot afford a delay in prevention dollars … not when lives are at stake.

Maria*.  was only 38 years old when she first found the lump in her breasts but with no insurance she waited.  She was among the first women we diagnosed in February 2010 with CPRIT funding her mammogram and diagnostic work-up.  A single mother of three, she was alone when we told that her she had cancer and she tried everything to keep it from her family.  Her twin daughters were turning 15, their quinceanera was planned for May and she didn’t want anything to ruin their celebration.  Yet when her 17 year old son, now man of the house, inadvertently discovered what was happening, he insisted that his mother move forward with treatment.  She had the most beautiful head of hair and losing her breast was hard enough but facing her daughters big day bald headed was just too much.  First we got her into treatment through MBCCS, then we fitted her in a perfect new wig and prosthesis.  She never stopped being beautiful to her children, but she looked especially radiant that day in May.  She will share many events in the future with her children.

There are so many Marias, and Anitas and Janes waiting for service.  It is for them that I ask for your serious consideration in the continued full funding of CPRIT.

*Name changed for privacy purposes.

Best and Worst of Times -- Ringing in a New Year at The Rose

The Rose has been living the “best of times” and the “worst of times.” For that we owe you – our patients and supporters –a thank you and a sincere apology.

Over the past several months, our ancient phone system and limited staff combined with an increase in calls meant reaching us was often difficult. The increase in the number of calls to The Rose is a good thing. Every day more and more women are discovering The Rose’s high level of quality care. And, every insured woman understands that her paid mammogram helps us care for someone without insurance.

But if you or your physician calls and has to hold for very long, that’s a bad thing.

We’re facing two problems -- an ancient, well-used telephone system (actually it’s only 8 years old but in the communications world that’s getting close to ancient) that simply cannot keep up with the higher volume AND a need for more employees to answer and direct those calls.

Believe me, a new telephone system and adequate staff are funding priorities for 2013. Your help or funding suggestions toward reaching that goal are very much appreciated. Our short-term answers – we’ve improved software and we’re making shifts in personnel – are helping. In the meantime, our commitment to our patients compelled us to find ways to remind those who were more than 16 months “late” in scheduling their annual mammogram that it was time to take care of YOU.

I can’t tell you how many women have said they appreciated that extra reminder. For at least two women our call may have translated into a chance for longer survival. Fortunately the cancers we discovered fell into the “early stage” of diagnosis. One woman told me, “Who knows how long I would have waited? Thank goodness The Rose kept at me.”

Every woman deserves The Rose and the quality breast health care we provide. So we promise – with your continued support -- to “keep at it” in whatever way is needed.

Thank you for your patience and support.

 

-- Dorothy Gibbons, CEO and Co-Founder, The Rose

Visit to The Rose Prompts Devotional

Lynnette Ross, pastor of Cathedral of Hope, Houston, wrote the following devotional after a visit to The Rose. We thank Rev. Ross for her permission to share ...

Scripture
“And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds” Hebrews 10:24

A Word of Hope
It is the time of year for me when I have what is called my ‘well woman’ physical. A mammogram is one of the components of that physical and for years I had the procedure done at the same place because it was familiar and I came to trust them over time. Several years ago a friend of mine asked me to consider switching providers and to begin having my mammogram done at The Rose, a non-profit breast cancer organization providing mammography screening, diagnosis, access to treatment and support to all women regardless of their ability to pay. As a woman who is blessed to have health insurance, by having my insured mammogram done there I help The Rose provide care to women who do not have insurance or the ability to pay. So yesterday I had my mammogram done at The Rose as I did last year.

It would have been easier for me to write them a check but writing a check would not have impacted by spirit or my heart. Now don’t get me wrong, writing checks to organizations that rely on giving is critical, and I do that as well. Here’s the difference – the act of consciously going to The Rose changes me. It is an intentional act of community for me. The entire time I am there I think of the women whose lives are helped by my being there along with the countless other women who help in the same way. It binds me to them all in a way that is inexplicable. That is what community is all about for me and my friend’s asking me to do it allowed me to engage in a good deed and to love others in a way that forever alters how I look at the world. For me that is the sense of community that Jesus ushered into the world and asked us to live out on a daily basis.

Prayer
God of grace and mercy, thank you for the opportunity to be in community and may you continue to provoke me to acts that change me and bind me to those around me and remind me of your steadfast love for us all.

Creating Goals -- A look at a longstanding tradition at The Rose

Creating goals for the New Year has been a tradition around The Rose for a long time.


Personally, and in my role as CEO of The Rose, the process of writing down my new year’s goals ignites something mystical and fun within my soul. It allows me to “consider the possibilities” and dream BIG.

The process is simple. At the January Staff meeting, we provide envelopes for each staff member. They have been notified weeks ahead of time that they will have an opportunity to write their goals and seal them in the envelopes. My encouragement is usually something like, “Between now and the staff meeting, take some time to dream. What do you want your upcoming year to be like? Imagine enjoying seeing your dreams come true. Envision yourself attaining whatever it is that would make your heart sing.”

During the meeting, we allow a few minutes for the procrastinators to finally write theirs on paper and for the overachievers to add a few more! Afterwards, I collect the now sealed envelopes, tie them with a red ribbon, and put them in a special drawer — where they will stay until January 2014.

Each January I deliver envelopes to those folks who participated the past year. I promise the staff each year that they will be surprised (and pleased) to see which goals were achieved. I promise this because I know it to be true. I’ve seen it happen again and again.

I offer guidelines to help in the forming of goals and was reminded that these tips might be beneficial to our blog readers so I’m sharing them here as well:

Keep the goal in present time and word them as if they are already achieved.

If you write down, “I need” or “I want”, you will continue to “need” or “want” whatever follows those words. Stating “I have” or “I am” is much more powerful and sends signals to the brain that it is already yours!

For instance, saying “I am the perfect weight” is much stronger than “I lose 10 pounds.” (By the way, you also want to avoid the double whammy of using words like “lose”, because our brain is always looking to replace whatever we say we lose. And THAT’s not always a good thing!)

Make the goal measureable but be careful not to place too many limits on it.

“My bills are easily and effortlessly paid on time and there is plenty of money left over in the bank for my other desires!” is good, while “I earn xx amount of money” could limit what happens.

Don’t forget to include “time” goals.

For instance, “I have time for myself every week/month to ______ .“ (Fill in the blank—have my nails done, take a nap, read a book, play with the kids.)

And maintenance goals are always important -- those things you do anyway but want to be sure you do more of or don’t forget: “I call my family every week” or “I see a great movie each month” or “I exercise 5 times a week.”

Adding date measurements is another great reinforcement.

“I replace that old chair by April 2013.”

There really are no limits to the possibilities that lie ahead for all of us—as long as you don’t limit yourself.

Studies have shown that writing the goals down is powerful and when written down, the success rate of achieving them is phenomenal. We all wish for things to happen or change but until we write down that desire, it stays a wish—lost somewhere in the ethers.

I write down no less than 104 goals each year. I include my Personal Goals, Goals for The Rose, Together Goals to be accomplished with my Sweetie. (Please note, however, he has to agree to those for it to work.)

Why 104? I read somewhere that was a good number for goals and it is.

But you don’t have to limit your goals to 104! Whether it is 4 goals, 100 goals or more, start writing.

This time next year you will be amazed!

-- Dorothy Gibbons

We're blogging again!

2013 will be the year The Rose takes on a new look (watch for a newly redesigned website in the coming weeks), some new programs, and a new approach to familiar communication channels ... like this blog! With our emphasis on quality breast health care and the chance to "put a face" on breast cancer prevention, we look forward to sharing with you in the days ahead.