Let's Talk About Your Breasts

A veteran nonprofit CEO and minister walks away from the top job to take a year‑long “power pause” for her health, her daughters, and her sanity.

In this first conversation, Emilee Whitehurst traces her path from human biology and divinity school into community organizing, parish ministry, and leadership at Interfaith Action of Central Texas, the Rothko Chapel, Planned Parenthood, and the Houston Area Women’s Cent...

Judy Pareya is a breast cancer survivor and dedicated volunteer at The Rose.

She joins Dorothy to share her powerful story, emphasizing the life-saving importance of early detection. Judy's experience underscores the vital role The Rose plays in providing care for uninsured women.

Since surviving her battle with breast cancer more than twenty years ago, Judy has been actively involved in raising funds for The Rose through the annu...

A seasoned grant writer pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to fund an Indiana‑sized breast care service area with five pink mobile coaches and thousands of uninsured women.

In this episode, Anna Caballero explains how she matches The Rose’s mission with state programs, foundations, and local donors, why rural counties and maintenance funds matter as much as screening dollars, and how her own mother’s late‑st...

Meet Sharon Cho, a two-time breast cancer survivor and head of the dessert table at The Rose’s Annual Shrimp Boil. Sharon has been a part of the Shrimp Boil since 1998, baking countless delectable treats like her bestselling pineapple upside-down cakes to raise money for Rose patients.

During this conversation, Sharon emphasizes the life-saving importance of getting regular mammograms and not delaying them. Her personal exper...

A third‑year med student and Rice Board Fellow sits at the intersection of women’s health, community medicine, and nonprofit leadership.

In this episode, Shivanki Juneja shares how her MD–MBA program and board service helped her understand healthcare finance and impact, why stories from postpartum moms and safety‑net clinics pushed her toward OB‑GYN and health equity, and how she hopes to make preventive care and judgme...

Pat McDavid, affectionately known as “Sunshine,” has supported The Rose for years.

For close to ten years, Pat has attended our annual Shrimp Boil. And without fail, he gets the crowd going by raising his live auction paddle.

As you listen to Pat’s story, you’ll learn that his commitment to giving back stems from his upbringing. He was instilled with the belief that helping others is paramount. Pat has witn...

A new CEO steps into The Rose and immediately confronts the realities behind 60,000
annual screenings: rural healthcare deserts, under‑reimbursed mammograms, and an
aging but essential mobile fleet.

During this conversation, COO Jessica Duckworth sits down with Angie Lane to talk about
what surprised her most in her first six weeks, why 3D mammography on five pink
coaches is non‑negotiable for twenty‑six Texas counties ...

Have you ever thought getting involved in a cause would mean so much more after a personal diagnosis? For some, it starts as volunteering or supporting loved ones. For others, it becomes a personal journey of survival, advocacy, and sharing information.

- You’ll hear how quick action matters, even without family history.

- You’ll learn how involvement grows when you or someone close to you is affected.

- You’ll di...

Brandi manages the tennis pro shop at Willow Fork Country Club in Katy, the club behind Pretty in Pink, an annual golf and tennis fundraiser that raised $22,000 for The Rose in a single day. She had insurance, a routine mammogram, and no reason to expect a problem until her scan came back inconclusive, then abnormal, and a biopsy she was quoted at nearly $5,000 out of pocket.

In this conversation, Brandi talks honestly about the fe...

An afternoon of yard work changed her life.

Uninsured and discovering she had breast cancer, 37-year-old Ana Henriquez talks about her challenges and what it took to survive. With raw honesty, she dives into the emotional toll of losing her hair, saying goodbye to her breasts, and the unwavering love and encouragement she received from her husband and family.

Ana emphasizes the critical importance of self-examination and urges all ...

Safiya felt a lump at 36, had no insurance, and almost didn't know where to turn. Thankfully, a referral brought her to The Rose, where our patient navigation team helped her qualify for breast cancer treatment and got her first appointment at MD Anderson scheduled in just 15 days. Through all of it, our navigators walked alongside her, and her faith, anchored by a prayer her father read her the day she was diagnosed, carried her t...

Ginger Clark shares her personal journey battling breast cancer. Despite the challenges, she expresses gratitude and highlights the importance of early detection through regular mammograms. The episode also delves into rural healthcare issues, emphasizing the struggles small hospitals face in providing adequate services. Ginger speaks to Dorothy about healthcare access, particularly for uninsured women, and the complexity of recons...

Susan has been connected to The Rose since the mid-1980s, when her boss at Texas Commerce Bank handed her a stack of newspaper articles and asked her to learn everything she could about a surgeon named Dr. Dixie Melillo. That assignment turned into a decades-long relationship with The Rose, years of emceeing fundraising style shows, and an unbroken commitment to the mission that continues today. She launched the Louise McBee Circle...

How do you talk about breast cancer when it’s something your community rarely discusses, sometimes because of culture, sometimes because of faith, and sometimes just because it’s hard? 

Salima Hirani faced breast cancer not just as a patient, but as a mother, a daughter, and someone who knew the taboos around speaking up. In this episode:

- You’ll hear how Salima found her own voice in a world that often keep...

En este episodio, hablamos con Maribel, sobreviviente de cáncer de mama diagnosticada en The Rose. Maribel comparte cómo el cáncer de su hermana menor fue una señal de alerta que la motivó a realizarse una mamografía sin seguro médico. Gracias a la ayuda de The Rose, pudo recibir un diagnóstico a tiempo, lo que fue crucial para su tratamiento.

Maribel nos cuenta sobre los desafíos emocionales, la pérdida de cabello, y su decisión d...

Marilyn is an attorney, CPA, and president of the Bill and Helen Crowder Foundation, the private foundation whose generosity helped build The Rose's podcast studio. She has been a Rose patient since the late 1970s, when she came in for her very first mammogram after moving to Houston. Decades later, she found herself in a very different role, as a Stage III HER2 positive breast cancer patient. Her advice is simple and direct: check...

Linda Petticrew is one determined woman.

She’s worked hard and many long hours to build a stunning career as an Executive Assistant to some of the top CEO’s in the city.

But her real strength tenacity was when she faced breast cancer, not once but twice. Diagnosed at a young age, she fought and won her battle and then twenty years later had to fight it again. During this episode, Linda talks about her experience. And sh...

Special Events Manager Shannon McNair takes us behind the scenes of The Rose’s annual Shrimp Boil, a nearly 40‑year tradition where fresh Gulf shrimp, auctions, raffles, and desserts turn a casual Saturday with 800 of your closest friends and family into a lifeline for breast health for women in our 45-county service area.

Support The Rose HERE.

Subscribe to Let’s Talk About Your Breasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHea...

Her chance of dying from breast cancer is 50% higher than other women. She has a family history and she’s Black. 

But that’s not stopping Kim Roxie from changing the odds.

Kim is a staunch supporter of The Rose and founder of LAMIK Beauty, a makeup line for women of color made with vegan, natural and organic ingredients.

During this conversation, Dorothy talks with Kim about her mother, who lost her fight with brea...