This episode features Marissa Thomas who is the CoFounder and CEO of For the Breast of Us. In this episode, we hear both Marissa and Shellie's stories about their experiences of being diagnosed with breast cancer ,and the fear they felt. In this episode, Marissa explains that her organization aims to provide resources and support to African-American women who often face unique challenges in the medical system. They discuss the importance of accessible information and how "The Breast of Us" uses social media and the internet to reach women across the world.
About Marissa Thomas
Marissa Thomas is a patient advocate and breast cancer thriver who was diagnosed in 2015 with stage II breast cancer. She is the CoFounder and CEO of For the Breast of Us, an inclusive online community for Women of Color impacted by breast cancer. As a woman of color diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, Marissa co- founded "For the Breast of Us" to provide women of color with a resource tailored to us and personal accounts expressed by us.
Marissa's passion is to educate women on how to navigate the healthcare system to make it work for them. She also wants women to know they can continue living their best life, regardless of the circumstance by advocating for themselves, embracing their community and expanding their education on the disease. Marissa holds a BS in Healthcare Administration, serves on the board of Living Beyond Breast Cancer, is a certified Living Beyond Breast Cancer Young Advocate and NBCC Project Lead graduate.
About The Breast of Us
A cancer diagnosis changes everything. As a woman of color, where do you go or who do you turn to when you’re in the midst of the fight of your life? You search online for stories and images of women who’ve gone through treatment and look like you, but you find little to nothing. Maybe you scroll down your timeline on social media, hoping to see a glimmer of hope in the face of other fighters and survivors, but you still yearn for something more. That’s where “For the Breast of Us” comes in. Their mission is to empower women of color affected by breast cancer to make the rest of their lives the best of their lives through education, advocacy and community.
Resources
00:14 Empowering black women with breast cancer.
07:36 Better communication for cancer patients.
10:43 Support and partnership in healthcare.
17:20 Importance of patient advocacy
19:36 Support and connection heal cancer.
25:03 Importance of sharing breast cancer stories.
29:23 Partnership and future collaboration.
This episode is produced by Rainbow Creative with Matthew Jones as Executive Producer, Producer Stephen Selnick, and Editors and Mixers Stefano Montali and Rob Johnson. To learn more on how to make a podcast for you or your business visit them at rainbowcreative.co