This time last year…
This time last year, we had not yet experienced the “great flood” at the Featherwood office, or even seen the heroic actions of the staff, or spent weeks moving people, furniture, files…things.
This time last year, some of us could still hug a husband, mother, father, friend…the list is endless of the people who were with us last year…loved ones were finishing their time here on Earth and were preparing to go “home.”
This time last year, some of us were working at other jobs and had never even heard about The Rose. Others of us were in different jobs at The Rose.
This time last year, the move of the Joan Gordon Center seemed a long way off. This time last year, there wasn’t a ROSE sign on one of the busiest highways in Houston.
This time last year, digital imaging was still this vague, much talked about “thing” that involved lots of meetings and yet was not quite real.
This time last year, babies were just starting to grow inside their mothers’ bodies and mothers were dreaming of their futures.
This time last year, no one gave a thought about Channel 2, or month-long commercials and phone banks. Who would ever have envisioned The Rose becoming a household name almost overnight?
This time last year, no one heard of Plain State Jail.
This time last year, 300 women did not know they had breast cancer or that their lives would never be the same again.
This time last year, they would never have known how incredibly important a phone call, a pathology report, a consultation with a physician would be…how incredibly important another day of life would become. For most of them, their very survival depended on what you were doing at The Rose.
We all have a relationship with time. We never seem to have enough time; we ask where did the time go? We marvel at how time flies. We try to stop time or hurry time.
As our oldest living volunteer, Helen Perry, often reminds me: “Saying ‘I do not have enough time’ is not a statement of fact but a judgment of value.”
We all choose how we spend time, who we spend it with, how much time we give and take, when we use it wisely and when we do not.
As we enter 2010, imagine looking back next December. What time did you make special? What time did you give your family and friends? Most importantly, what time did you give to yourself?
My wish for you this Holiday Season is that next year, when you look back, you will be pleased with how you spent this precious gift called Time.
Dorothy
December 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Sponsored Patient Holiday Party
2009 proved to be a challenging year for uninsured women recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Fortunately, these women are getting the best quality care despite their inability to pay for services at The Rose, Houston’s leading non-profit breast cancer organization. Not only does The Rose care for the physical health of their patients and their families, they also understand the importance of emotional health in the process of their recovery. As such, hundreds of toys for children ranging from one year to eighteen were personally delivered by Santa himself at The Rose’s 9th Annual Sponsored Patient Christmas Party, ensuring that the children who are affected by this illness have the best Christmas possible!
Special thanks to : Obstetrical and Gynecological Associates; Iron Mountain; Casa Ole’; Richard Portrait Artist; Esther J. Krawietz & Friends; Security Finance; Clay’s Greenhouses, Weimer, Texas; Houston Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure; Vista Bank Texas; George Phillips Construction; Hi Tech Electric Inc.; University of Houston Women’s Basketball; UH Pep Band, UH Dolls; UH Cheerleaders; John and Melissa Zapp, Dr. Dixie Melillo, Dr. Ward Parsons, Texas Citizens Bank; Myrleen Knott; Bob Domec; Corkey Turner; Jim Fryer; Josie Lightfoot; Dr. Sunny Hatch; Dr. Melissa Joyner and countless Rose staff members.
Special thanks to : Obstetrical and Gynecological Associates; Iron Mountain; Casa Ole’; Richard Portrait Artist; Esther J. Krawietz & Friends; Security Finance; Clay’s Greenhouses, Weimer, Texas; Houston Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure; Vista Bank Texas; George Phillips Construction; Hi Tech Electric Inc.; University of Houston Women’s Basketball; UH Pep Band, UH Dolls; UH Cheerleaders; John and Melissa Zapp, Dr. Dixie Melillo, Dr. Ward Parsons, Texas Citizens Bank; Myrleen Knott; Bob Domec; Corkey Turner; Jim Fryer; Josie Lightfoot; Dr. Sunny Hatch; Dr. Melissa Joyner and countless Rose staff members.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
New Guidelines Could Reverse Decline in Mortality Rates
Experts at The Rose strongly believe that newly revised U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations for breast cancer screening could reverse the decline in breast cancer morbidity and mortality, causing undue suffering to women facing breast cancer and their families.
Please click here for the story from Fox 26.Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Rose warns women of top dangers during Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Young women should beware of five factors that may increase the risk of breast cancer, The Rose, the leading breast cancer specialty and support center in the Houston area, reported. October is breast cancer awareness month, and officials at The Rose are warning women about five dangers that could lead to increased health risks at a younger age than ever before.
1. Large consumption of meat and chicken
Those fast food hamburgers may be doing more than packing on the pounds. A lot of meat contains high levels of estrogen, a hormone that feeds breast cancer. “This year we had a 19-year-old diagnosed with advanced breast cancer and just weeks ago a 27-year-old diagnosed with the condition.” said Dr. Dixie Melillo, breast cancer surgeon at The Rose. “Young women today grew up eating beef and chicken from hormone-fed animals, and now we are seeing the results.” It’s recommended young girls eat meat in moderation and stick with the organic kind when possible.
2. Obesity
Sugar-laden junk foods and carbohydrates such as french fries and chips produce more body fat. Obesity can in turn increase the amount of estrogen, which helps tumors grow in women’s bodies. Regular exercise will help women reduce the amount of fat tissue that produces excess estrogen in their bodies.
3. Early onset of first menstrual period
The earlier puberty occurs, the longer a woman is exposed to estrogen. “Many girls are getting periods earlier because of the high fat and hormone-induced foods they eat. Excess estrogen at these earlier ages can be harmful long-term,” Dr. Melillo said.
4. No pregnancies before the age of 30
While pregnant, women develop hormones that protect them against breast cancer. The longer they go without birthing children, the less protection their body has. “The interruption of the estrogen cycle caused by pregnancy is helpful,” Dr. Melillo said.
5. Use of birth control
The increased exposure to estrogen at an early age and long uses of contraceptives is feared to expose women to increased risk of breast cancer.
“We are seeing more and more young women diagnosed with breast cancer and they need to know about that even though they may be too young for a mammogram, they are not too young for breast cancer.” said Dorothy Weston Gibbons, CEO of The Rose and president of the Breast Health Collaborative of Texas. Consider that there are more than 250,000 women living in the U.S. who were diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 40 or under, and approximately 10,000 young women will be diagnosed in the next year. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women ages 15 to 54. “Nationally, under 7% of all breast cancer cases occur in women under 40 years old, at The Rose, 10% of all cancers detected are in women under 40,” Gibbons added.
According to National Recommendations, routine screening mammograms should start at age 40. Regular mammograms are not recommended for younger women, in part, because breast tissue tends to be denser in young women, making mammograms a less effective as a screening tool. This is one reason The Rose established its Young Women’s Clinic in 2005. The Clinic is offered at both Rose locations, using a protocol driven program combining mammography, ultrasound and clinical correlation, designed especially for women 35 years old and younger.
“Exercise, maintain a diet low in fat and carbs, do regular self-breast exams, and get screened, especially if there’s a family history of breast cancer,” Dr. Melillo said. “It might save your life.”
The Rose uses advanced technology to provide mammography screening and also ultrasound testing—critical for better detection of breast cancer in younger women. The leading breast cancer center also provides immediate diagnosis—no days or weeks of agonizing wait for test results, early access to the best treatment available, and caring support for patients.
1. Large consumption of meat and chicken
Those fast food hamburgers may be doing more than packing on the pounds. A lot of meat contains high levels of estrogen, a hormone that feeds breast cancer. “This year we had a 19-year-old diagnosed with advanced breast cancer and just weeks ago a 27-year-old diagnosed with the condition.” said Dr. Dixie Melillo, breast cancer surgeon at The Rose. “Young women today grew up eating beef and chicken from hormone-fed animals, and now we are seeing the results.” It’s recommended young girls eat meat in moderation and stick with the organic kind when possible.
2. Obesity
Sugar-laden junk foods and carbohydrates such as french fries and chips produce more body fat. Obesity can in turn increase the amount of estrogen, which helps tumors grow in women’s bodies. Regular exercise will help women reduce the amount of fat tissue that produces excess estrogen in their bodies.
3. Early onset of first menstrual period
The earlier puberty occurs, the longer a woman is exposed to estrogen. “Many girls are getting periods earlier because of the high fat and hormone-induced foods they eat. Excess estrogen at these earlier ages can be harmful long-term,” Dr. Melillo said.
4. No pregnancies before the age of 30
While pregnant, women develop hormones that protect them against breast cancer. The longer they go without birthing children, the less protection their body has. “The interruption of the estrogen cycle caused by pregnancy is helpful,” Dr. Melillo said.
5. Use of birth control
The increased exposure to estrogen at an early age and long uses of contraceptives is feared to expose women to increased risk of breast cancer.
“We are seeing more and more young women diagnosed with breast cancer and they need to know about that even though they may be too young for a mammogram, they are not too young for breast cancer.” said Dorothy Weston Gibbons, CEO of The Rose and president of the Breast Health Collaborative of Texas. Consider that there are more than 250,000 women living in the U.S. who were diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 40 or under, and approximately 10,000 young women will be diagnosed in the next year. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women ages 15 to 54. “Nationally, under 7% of all breast cancer cases occur in women under 40 years old, at The Rose, 10% of all cancers detected are in women under 40,” Gibbons added.
According to National Recommendations, routine screening mammograms should start at age 40. Regular mammograms are not recommended for younger women, in part, because breast tissue tends to be denser in young women, making mammograms a less effective as a screening tool. This is one reason The Rose established its Young Women’s Clinic in 2005. The Clinic is offered at both Rose locations, using a protocol driven program combining mammography, ultrasound and clinical correlation, designed especially for women 35 years old and younger.
“Exercise, maintain a diet low in fat and carbs, do regular self-breast exams, and get screened, especially if there’s a family history of breast cancer,” Dr. Melillo said. “It might save your life.”
The Rose uses advanced technology to provide mammography screening and also ultrasound testing—critical for better detection of breast cancer in younger women. The leading breast cancer center also provides immediate diagnosis—no days or weeks of agonizing wait for test results, early access to the best treatment available, and caring support for patients.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)