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Speaker 1: We've got a great show lined up today with a

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Speaker 1: very special guest about a subject that really affects so

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Speaker 1: many women, especially black and brown women.

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Speaker 2: But first we need to have a surface level catch up.

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Speaker 3: What's up, Ryl, what's good?

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Speaker 2: Boop?

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Speaker 3: I'm like, like, in the hair, you know?

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Speaker 2: You know?

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Speaker 4: Okay, okay, okay, listen, you just kind of gave me

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Speaker 4: a thought for a conversation we need to have because

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Speaker 4: I saw your post on Twitter the other day where

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Speaker 4: one of your followers I think maybe it's just someone

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Speaker 4: you know, was like, somebody need to help me out

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Speaker 4: with these wigs because I don't know how the girls

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Speaker 4: be doing it. And your response though, I was like,

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Speaker 4: this needs to be a topic on lay.

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Speaker 3: Does you know why?

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Speaker 4: Because there are absolutely levels two wig makenance making sure

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Speaker 4: the girls don't.

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Speaker 2: Move, they don't go anywhere.

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Speaker 4: But yeah, that that question, I was like, Okay, we

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Speaker 4: need to do that, but your hair is to do that?

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Speaker 3: Boy.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, see, you are so right that we need to

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Speaker 1: do that as a show because I have alopecia, and

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Speaker 1: because I have alopecia, I had to learn very early

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Speaker 1: on how to take care of it is here and

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Speaker 1: you know how it we're gonna have to have a

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Speaker 1: We're gonna have to have a show about it. But yea,

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Speaker 1: I will wear a wig and we'll let everybody know

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Speaker 1: that it's a wig. And do not care if you

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Speaker 1: know that it's a wig, because you ain't know it

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Speaker 1: was a wig until I told you.

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Speaker 2: That's what I'm saying.

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Speaker 4: And you know what, even if you do know, it's

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Speaker 4: mine because I bought it, because I paid for.

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Speaker 5: It, it's period.

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Speaker 1: But I'm gonna be rocking a different kind of wig though,

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Speaker 1: because it's Halloween and it's my.

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Speaker 2: Favorite holiday, so I gotta have different county. Are you

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Speaker 2: went to Halloween? Do you give out candy to the kids?

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Speaker 4: Okay, okay, no, no, no, no, But let me say this.

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Speaker 4: Halloween when I was much younger and I lived in

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Speaker 4: the city. You know, I live in the country, Tea,

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Speaker 4: so we don't get kids out there. But when I

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Speaker 4: was younger, it was Halloween and Christmas for me were

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Speaker 4: like I went all out. I don't do Halloween anymore,

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Speaker 4: and also found out I was Type two diabetic, like

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Speaker 4: about a year ago, so I can't be having all

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Speaker 4: that sugar around.

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Speaker 2: But do Tail, do tell do Tail?

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Speaker 3: I need to know I need to know.

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Speaker 2: I'm a Halloween girly.

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Speaker 1: It's my favorite holiday, always has been, because I used

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Speaker 1: to love to play dress up as a kid, and

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Speaker 1: you know, walk around at my mama's high heels and

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Speaker 1: until my feet got too big. My feet was bigger

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Speaker 1: than hers. I can't feel her shoes no more. But

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Speaker 1: it was just the idea of getting to be somebody different,

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Speaker 1: And you know, I just always love Halloween.

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Speaker 2: And then of course there's the candy.

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Speaker 1: And I grew up in an era where, like everybody,

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Speaker 1: this is before stuff got crazy, So everybody used to

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Speaker 1: give out candy, and you always had that one or

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Speaker 1: two people on the crib who would give you, like,

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Speaker 1: you know, an apple orre banana, Like, man, we didn't

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Speaker 1: ask for this. And then you also had your one

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Speaker 1: or two people who would give you a whole candy bars, favorites.

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Speaker 3: You're like, I don't want no fruit. We do not

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Speaker 3: Halloween Halloween.

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Speaker 2: What is we doing?

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Speaker 3: Listen? Halloween is not about being healthy.

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Speaker 5: I'm not at all.

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Speaker 1: I do not want your freaking gram cracker bar Halloween.

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Speaker 5: I won't do it.

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Speaker 1: And I was so hurt when I turned my light

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Speaker 1: on for the first time, like many years ago, I was.

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Speaker 1: I mean, I was hurt for the moment, but I

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Speaker 1: ate the hell out the rest of that candy I

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Speaker 1: bought because I bought it.

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Speaker 2: But now I just bought a new high house. So

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Speaker 2: my house is like that house. I'm the house that

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Speaker 2: got all the wanted signs, the little fake grades outside

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Speaker 2: I got.

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Speaker 3: So you do all the decorating.

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Speaker 4: You do all the decorating outside and inside and inside and.

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Speaker 2: Inside, so not every room.

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Speaker 1: When I had a smaller apartment, it was much easier

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Speaker 1: to do every room. But now it's just like my

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Speaker 1: dining room and my kitchen, Like I don't touch the

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Speaker 1: living room and.

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Speaker 2: All that other stuff. I'll wait for Christmas for that.

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Speaker 1: But like I'm that person, Like I am that person,

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Speaker 1: and so I dress up every year. I have like

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Speaker 1: three costumes. It's crazy, Like that's my thing.

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Speaker 2: I love it.

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Speaker 3: Do you have Halloween parties?

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Speaker 1: I do, As a matter of fact, this year my

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Speaker 1: housewarming party, it's Halloween theme party.

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Speaker 2: And so I go all out.

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Speaker 1: And this year, really, this year really made me upset though,

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Speaker 1: because there's one tradition that I have every October that

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Speaker 1: I was not able to do, and it's totality year

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Speaker 1: because of being on the road for the WNBA Finals.

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Speaker 1: But every year, for the entire month of October, if

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Speaker 1: I'm not watching sports, all I watch is scary movies,

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Speaker 1: and I try to see if I can outdo myself

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Speaker 1: from year to year. So I usually top off about

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Speaker 1: fifty to fifty six scary movies of October.

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Speaker 2: This year, I've only seen like twenty. I'm so far.

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Speaker 3: Behind, only twenty.

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Speaker 2: Only twenty. I'm like, so far behind. You're slipping. You're slipping.

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Speaker 2: This is crazy.

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Speaker 3: If you're flipping exists, I don't know.

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Speaker 1: All right, everybody out there, I'm gonna get sure of

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Speaker 1: to do. Halloween would be one time, y'all.

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Speaker 4: Okay, last Halloween question? Maybe what's the candy you give out?

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Speaker 4: Are you the house where everybody's like, oh no, we're

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Speaker 4: going to Auntie T's house because she got the good candy.

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Speaker 1: Yes, because I not only give out candy to the kids,

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Speaker 1: but I give out treats for the adults.

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Speaker 3: What are the adult treats?

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Speaker 1: The adult treats might come in a miniature size bottle,

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Speaker 1: and it might be various favors from baca to rum

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Speaker 1: to tequila, suburban.

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Speaker 2: Door.

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Speaker 4: Okay, so then really It ain't the kids saying let's

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Speaker 4: go there. It's the parents said, oh no, we're definitely

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Speaker 4: hit this right.

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Speaker 1: There on the corner. That's the crib. We got to

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Speaker 1: make sure we stop every year.

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Speaker 4: Okay, I'm feeling out one a little bit. I'm feeling

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Speaker 4: out one. I'm feeling out with me, y'all. Yeah, So

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Speaker 4: Halloween is the thing. That's what that's that's what we

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Speaker 4: do in October. But outside of Halloween, on a more

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Speaker 4: serious note, October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month, it's

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Speaker 4: National Women's Small Business Month, it's National Depression Education and

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Speaker 4: Awareness Month. But I think most notably people recognize that

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Speaker 4: October is Breast.

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Speaker 2: Cancer Awareness Month.

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Speaker 1: So on today Show, we have a special guest, really

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Speaker 1: close friend and family of your cherl who's going to

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Speaker 1: be joining us to share more of her story and

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Speaker 1: just really put into perspective what it means to tackle

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Speaker 1: breast cancer from various different angles, and so we're excited

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Speaker 1: to talk to her and really take this conversation to

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Speaker 1: the next level. So joining us on Today's show is

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Speaker 1: I don't want to say a friend of yours, Chirol,

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Speaker 1: because this is family, right, Yeah, all of that, but

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Speaker 1: this is family friends, family, sister, all of that, right,

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Speaker 1: So we're excited to welcome in Cynthia Smith. Hi, Cynthia, Y,

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Speaker 1: thank you guys for having me. I really appreciate it.

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Speaker 3: Hi Cynthia, Hi Cheryl.

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Speaker 1: I'm very happy to have you on the show. We're

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Speaker 1: very happy to have you on the show. I wish

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Speaker 1: I could see their.

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Speaker 3: Excited holland I got a big kool Aid smile.

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Speaker 1: So, before we get like super deep into the conversation,

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Speaker 1: I wanted to share a few nuggets with our listeners

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Speaker 1: because I really want them to understand the context of

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Speaker 1: how important this conversation is.

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Speaker 6: So nugget number one is that black women are.

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Speaker 1: Forty two percent more likely to die of breast cancer

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Speaker 1: than any other race, and Black women under the age

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Speaker 1: of thirty five get breast cancer at two times the

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Speaker 1: rate of white women and die at three times the

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Speaker 1: rate of white women.

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Speaker 2: So essentially, when you think.

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Speaker 6: About this disease, it has.

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Speaker 1: Stolen our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, our loved ones,

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Speaker 1: our friends, and based on these numbers, it is just

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Speaker 1: continuing to take Black women at an alarming rate. So

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Speaker 1: having you hear Cynthia to kind of give perspective and

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Speaker 1: additional context to what it really means to.

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Speaker 2: Fight through this.

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Speaker 1: It's not only so important to us, but really just

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Speaker 1: so important to all women to really understand what this does.

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Speaker 5: Yeah, I totally agree, And those stats are so alarming.

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Speaker 5: This is something that you need to take seriously. For myself,

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Speaker 5: I found my cancer and it wasn't because I was

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Speaker 5: doing routine, regular check us at home. It was because

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Speaker 5: I was at one point in my life I was

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Speaker 5: losing weight and I was working out, but not at

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Speaker 5: the rate that I was losing weight. And so first

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Speaker 5: of all, I have to give gory to God because

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Speaker 5: I am a twelve year survivor. So what a blessing man.

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Speaker 5: I was when I was thirty years old and right

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Speaker 5: before my thirty first birthday, and so when night I

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Speaker 5: was at home, I was This is when I lived

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Speaker 5: in a small rural town in West Texas. I was

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Speaker 5: just doing all the things. Like I was one of

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Speaker 5: those people who if I wasn't working two or three jobs,

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Speaker 5: I wasn't content with life. So I drove the bus

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Speaker 5: I was. I was a teacher, I coached cheerleading, so

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Speaker 5: I did them all to the things. So one night

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Speaker 5: took us that off at home and I was just

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Speaker 5: in the mirror thinking, ooh, girl, you know I had

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Speaker 5: some double ds.

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Speaker 2: You know.

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Speaker 5: At the child I was like, get five again. And

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Speaker 5: then I began to you know, you know, me show

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Speaker 5: them just something like that. When I again to just

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Speaker 5: kind of touched my body in a way, not like

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Speaker 5: a weird way, but just a way they like, oh,

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Speaker 5: look at those breasts, they setting up their real down.

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Speaker 5: And then I felt on my right side and I

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Speaker 5: felt again. I was like, oh, that doesn't feel right.

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Speaker 5: So I called my sister. She's one of those people

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Speaker 5: who I call her an old iron tail because she's

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Speaker 5: just rough and tough and to the point. We had

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Speaker 5: just lost our mom three years prior to me being

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Speaker 5: diagnosed with cancer. And my mom just out of the

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Speaker 5: blue thunderhemotomee on her lung. The doctors went back and

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Speaker 5: forth of this cancer, it's not cancer anyways. She ended

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Speaker 5: up finding it in two thousand and eight, I guess,

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Speaker 5: and lived about one year and then she passed on.

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Speaker 5: So when I told my sister that I felt something weird,

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Speaker 5: she said, you need to go get it checked out,

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Speaker 5: just to be on the safe side. And so I'm like,

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Speaker 5: I don't have time. You know, as a school teacher,

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Speaker 5: you have so many days in the work years to

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Speaker 5: be taking off from work. So Kalma Obi Jouyne. And

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Speaker 5: this was in January when I began to feel this,

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Speaker 5: and so Calma Obi Joyanne and she was like, well,

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Speaker 5: I can't get you in until March. And I was like,

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Speaker 5: quite a bit, that's spring break that I don't take

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Speaker 5: off of work.

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Speaker 2: It's all good, just do it.

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Speaker 5: But I just gotta take you guys back just a

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Speaker 5: little bit. December thirty. First, you know, New Year's Eve,

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Speaker 5: I'm twenty eleven praying to God and saying, God, you know,

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Speaker 5: I'm not going to make your standard or your traditional

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Speaker 5: New Year's resolution. I am going to just pray that

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Speaker 5: I'm in church every Sunday.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 5: So I remember praying that we go in in March.

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Speaker 5: And I'm feeling one thing, and I'm telling my Obi

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Speaker 5: Joanne this is what I'm feeling. She begins to feel

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Speaker 5: something else and I'm like okay. She says, I think

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Speaker 5: it's just like a sist or something. And I said, well,

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Speaker 5: all right, you're the doctor. So she said, but I

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Speaker 5: need to get you into an ultrasound first. But we

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Speaker 5: couldn't do it that day. Of course, we had to

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Speaker 5: do it a week later. We had to schedule it.

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Speaker 5: So the following week I went in for an ultrasound

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Speaker 5: and then after that she said, well, I want to

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Speaker 5: do a mamaground. And so I think at that moment

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Speaker 5: I realized something was probably worse than what I was

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Speaker 5: imagining because I was thirty and anything that you had

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Speaker 5: read at that time was you don't get a math

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Speaker 5: ground to hear in your forties, myties, early fifties, right yep.

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Speaker 5: So I was like, okay, this can't be good, but

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Speaker 5: I'm trusting God because I don't know, right, I'm not

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Speaker 5: a doctor.

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Speaker 2: Mind you.

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Speaker 5: I've been in church January first, going on right every Sunday,

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Speaker 5: and the doors of the church are open on Sundays.

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Speaker 2: I was in there.

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Speaker 5: So then the week later we went in for the

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Speaker 5: mammogram and she says, we want to do a biopsy

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Speaker 5: and maybe when I tell you something, okay, that memoground

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Speaker 5: was already I feeling that you don't want to go through, right,

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Speaker 5: But that biopsy, because they had to do a biopsy

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Speaker 5: on my nipple, right, and it was the most excruciating pain.

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Speaker 5: And I say that not too scared you one. But

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Speaker 5: I want to be a realist about this because this

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Speaker 5: is something that is so serious and you do not

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Speaker 5: take it, you know, for what it is. I don't

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Speaker 5: want to sugarcoat this. I want to be honest. So, yes,

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Speaker 5: it was the worst pain I had ever felt in

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Speaker 5: my life.

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Speaker 3: The biopsy was not the mammoground.

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Speaker 5: I'm hurt, but the biop c, yes, is just oh

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Speaker 5: my god. And so I'm laying face down on this

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Speaker 5: table and underneath this needle type machine and I can

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Speaker 5: see a peetrie dish and it was just full of

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Speaker 5: tissue from my breast. So of course I have to

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Speaker 5: wait seven days. So that was results, right, So that's

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Speaker 5: one of the worst parts waiting.

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Speaker 1: The waiting seems like it would be worse than the

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Speaker 1: actual biology because now you're putting yourself through all this

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Speaker 1: anxiety of what the results are going to be used.

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Speaker 5: Can you imagine, I mean, if you never had to

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Speaker 5: wait on anything, and let me take you my TESTI patience.

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Speaker 5: Oh it got there, right.

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Speaker 6: But like, can I ask you, like what did you

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Speaker 6: do in that time frame?

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Speaker 1: Like how were you able to kind of focus on

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Speaker 1: everything else that you were doing and not spend so

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Speaker 1: much time being anxious of what those results were going

291
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Speaker 1: to be.

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Speaker 5: You don't try to fill your time with something. But

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Speaker 5: in the back of your mind you're like, Okay, I'm

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Speaker 5: going to get some kind of news. I'm praying for

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Speaker 5: the best. Right But again, in my realism of life,

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Speaker 5: you have to hope for the best, expect the worst.

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Speaker 5: That you can have a game plan, and it's important

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Speaker 5: for me to always have a game plan. So I

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Speaker 5: just gotta reverse this story for just a couple of seconds,

300
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Speaker 5: because it's all going makes sense later. When my mom

301
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Speaker 5: passed away in two thousand and nine, I was a

302
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Speaker 5: school teacher in FloriDada and one day we had a

303
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Speaker 5: PD professional development. An insurance guy came in selling insurance

304
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Speaker 5: to us cancer policies and things like that, and I

305
00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:29,520
Speaker 5: was torn, like should I get this, Maybe I shouldn't

306
00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:30,920
Speaker 5: get this, Maybe I should get this. My mom just

307
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Speaker 5: passed away with some type of cancer that they think

308
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Speaker 5: of cancer, but they don't know it's cancer. I decided, Okay,

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Speaker 5: I'm going to get it. And I was like, all right,

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Speaker 5: that's thirty nine dollars and ten cents.

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Speaker 3: Right, fuddy, what you remember girl?

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Speaker 6: Because one of the things at your check.

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Speaker 3: You know, you'd be like really.

314
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Speaker 5: So thirty cents back and forth every month. So this

315
00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:58,400
Speaker 5: was like writing checks because you get that time out

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Speaker 5: of think you can do it direct Davis and checks

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Speaker 5: and having to go get a stamp melon. I'm like, oh,

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Speaker 5: this is too much. Right, So after six weeks or so,

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Speaker 5: I let it last. I'm like, gotta do this. Thirty

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Speaker 5: nine dollars tens. That's a good hair dude, probably and

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Speaker 5: at that time probably could get some gas phillip.

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Speaker 3: Yap right, yeah, back then, yes, back then, right.

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Speaker 5: Twelve years ago. It's a lot back then. Thirty nine

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Speaker 5: dollars a tens to thirty month for three years, but

325
00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:25,440
Speaker 5: after a while you don't think of it because it's coming.

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Speaker 5: It's gone. So fast forward back to April seventh. I've

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Speaker 5: driven the bus to another little rural town where we

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Speaker 5: have a UL competition. This is the competition to see

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Speaker 5: if my kids advanced to State. We're ready, We've been

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Speaker 5: working all year for this. We're going back to state.

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Speaker 2: We got this, yeh.

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Speaker 5: So I'm in there timing the competition, my kids are writing.

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Speaker 1: My phone just starts blowing up by crazy, and I'm

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Speaker 1: like I can't answer this because I'm timing these kids

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00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:57,880
Speaker 1: and it's nine stop, my stop. Then my sister Anna,

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Speaker 1: she calls you too, and I'm like, okay, some of

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Speaker 1: the I don't know, so I asked someone else if

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00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:03,640
Speaker 1: they would. The other lady that was in the room

339
00:17:03,640 --> 00:17:05,560
Speaker 1: with me, I said, can you just take over this time?

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00:17:05,600 --> 00:17:07,360
Speaker 1: I've got to take this call. It's important.

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Speaker 5: At that moment, I wasn't really thinking about this is

342
00:17:09,560 --> 00:17:11,120
Speaker 5: the day they're going to call me, because they didn't

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Speaker 5: say what day. They were said in the week. I'll

344
00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:15,360
Speaker 5: get out there, and I called my sister first. I'm like, hey,

345
00:17:15,359 --> 00:17:17,159
Speaker 5: what's so much funny blowing me up? What's going on?

346
00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:19,160
Speaker 5: I said, you know, I'm gonna out a competition. She said,

347
00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:20,959
Speaker 5: you do call the doctor. They won't give me an

348
00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:24,320
Speaker 5: information because I'm not you, but I am your emergency contact.

349
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Speaker 5: And I said, oh okay.

350
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Speaker 4: At that point, did you think this is the news

351
00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:29,800
Speaker 4: I've been waiting for?

352
00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:32,600
Speaker 5: Yes, this is the news right? She said the doctor

353
00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:35,359
Speaker 5: called her the needed to talk to me, and I

354
00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:38,280
Speaker 5: was like, well, they didn't tell her no, so it

355
00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:42,640
Speaker 5: must be something else. So I called the doctor and

356
00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:45,240
Speaker 5: they don't say can you come in? We have news.

357
00:17:45,720 --> 00:17:49,520
Speaker 5: They just tell you rather on the phone. I'm sorry,

358
00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:51,639
Speaker 5: this meant to inform you you're in your earliest stages

359
00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:52,800
Speaker 5: of breast cancer.

360
00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:56,159
Speaker 3: Just like that over the phone, Just like that over.

361
00:17:56,040 --> 00:17:59,119
Speaker 5: The phone started to inform you. But you were in

362
00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:03,520
Speaker 5: your earliest stage breast cancer, right in the middle of

363
00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:06,560
Speaker 5: this common tissue. So I'm outside, my kids are working

364
00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:09,800
Speaker 5: in there, trying to get us a state, and all

365
00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:11,920
Speaker 5: I could do is fall to my knees because I'm

366
00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:14,240
Speaker 5: just like, hunt.

367
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Speaker 2: What, yes, right?

368
00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:18,320
Speaker 5: Because I had the aunt who passed away from breast cancer. Right, yeah,

369
00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:23,800
Speaker 5: cousin who was bad with breast cancer. So I go

370
00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:27,760
Speaker 5: outside and I'm bawling at this point, and my sister

371
00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:30,119
Speaker 5: is calling me, and I'm like, oh, I can't answer

372
00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:33,919
Speaker 5: why I'm crying because this sister is so tough. She's, oh,

373
00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:35,800
Speaker 5: mushbag now, but back then.

374
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Speaker 3: She was so tough.

375
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Speaker 5: She was like, but do you cray for? I WoT

376
00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:40,600
Speaker 5: to cry, you know. So I'm talking to one of

377
00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:43,800
Speaker 5: my teacher friends and she says, don't worry, I'm gonna

378
00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:46,880
Speaker 5: talk to the principal and we're gonna You're gonna be fine, Okay.

379
00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:48,720
Speaker 5: So I clean my face up, I call my sister

380
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Speaker 5: and I'm employ data, which is about forty five miles

381
00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:55,520
Speaker 5: from my hometown, but she was working another thirty miles

382
00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:58,199
Speaker 5: from our hometown, so she was about a hour and

383
00:18:58,240 --> 00:18:58,960
Speaker 5: thirty minutes from me.

384
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Speaker 1: I call her.

385
00:18:59,760 --> 00:19:01,480
Speaker 5: She's so what they say? I said, Well, she said

386
00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:04,560
Speaker 5: it has breast cancer. She got quiet and she said,

387
00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:06,679
Speaker 5: or are yes, I'm averdent thing. She said, I on

388
00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:08,919
Speaker 5: my way. So she came and she picked me up.

389
00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:12,439
Speaker 5: You know, talk about God putting the right people in

390
00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:14,639
Speaker 5: the right place at the right time. There is no

391
00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:18,960
Speaker 5: way I could have survived that whole ordeal without her.

392
00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:22,639
Speaker 4: When you got the call right from the doctor and

393
00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:25,680
Speaker 4: they said you have a breast cancer, Like.

394
00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:30,840
Speaker 3: What did you think? Did you think the worst? Or

395
00:19:31,359 --> 00:19:32,160
Speaker 3: was it? Okay?

396
00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:35,399
Speaker 4: I know what it is now now let's let's tackle it.

397
00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:37,200
Speaker 4: Let's figure out how we get through it.

398
00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:40,480
Speaker 5: No, at that moment Sheryl popped up, my life was

399
00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:43,840
Speaker 5: oh wrapped. I was dying. I ain't cancer. Come on, it's cancer, right,

400
00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:46,439
Speaker 5: It's all you're thinking, right, because we know if you

401
00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:48,800
Speaker 5: don't do your research, when you hear the word cancer,

402
00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:50,240
Speaker 5: you think death sentence are sure?

403
00:19:50,560 --> 00:19:50,960
Speaker 3: For sure?

404
00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:52,360
Speaker 2: It wasn't until later that.

405
00:19:52,359 --> 00:19:54,480
Speaker 5: Evening, when I talked to one of my close friends,

406
00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:56,760
Speaker 5: my beautician at the time and also my friend. I

407
00:19:56,880 --> 00:19:58,720
Speaker 5: called her and I was telling her what was going on,

408
00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:02,679
Speaker 5: you know, and she said, Cynthia, all sickness is not

409
00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:05,560
Speaker 5: of the death. That's from the Bible, right, She was

410
00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:07,920
Speaker 5: telling me this, all sickness is not that. So all

411
00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:10,680
Speaker 5: these things playing back into me, like, you know, God

412
00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:14,040
Speaker 5: is really looking out because he's putting these people telling

413
00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:16,720
Speaker 5: me the things I need to know and keep encouraging

414
00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:19,359
Speaker 5: me and all the things. Back to that teacher friend

415
00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:25,160
Speaker 5: of mine that was with me, she said, Cynthia, you're

416
00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:28,080
Speaker 5: one of the strongest women I know. Well, she said

417
00:20:28,119 --> 00:20:30,400
Speaker 5: to me, and I'm like, I'm pretty resilient. I think

418
00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:32,399
Speaker 5: I would like to think that on myself. I'm pretty strong.

419
00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:34,160
Speaker 5: I do a lot of things by myself, take care

420
00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:37,600
Speaker 5: of this, that and the other. She said. So I

421
00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:41,600
Speaker 5: need you to kick screen, cry, cuss all the things

422
00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:44,399
Speaker 5: you to do today, get it out of your system.

423
00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:47,400
Speaker 5: Tomorrow's a new day. We tackle from there.

424
00:20:48,359 --> 00:20:48,919
Speaker 2: Yeah.

425
00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:52,680
Speaker 1: And I'm glad that you said during your research because

426
00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:57,000
Speaker 1: my question is how familiar were you with this before?

427
00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:00,719
Speaker 1: Because in my mind I tend to think that you know,

428
00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:03,480
Speaker 1: if you're someone who knows, And I think now being

429
00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:06,680
Speaker 1: twenty twenty four are very different than two thousand and nine.

430
00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:09,679
Speaker 1: Right in twenty twenty four, I think people may know.

431
00:21:10,280 --> 00:21:14,440
Speaker 1: You know, Okay, breast cancer doesn't necessarily mean a death

432
00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:18,679
Speaker 1: sentence not. You know, early detection is important, like let's

433
00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:20,840
Speaker 1: just do it, let's let's figure out how to do it,

434
00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:25,400
Speaker 1: versus being completely unfamiliar and you hear it and you're

435
00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:29,240
Speaker 1: like holy shit, like this is this is crazy? So like,

436
00:21:29,320 --> 00:21:33,919
Speaker 1: how much did you know about breast cancer before having

437
00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:36,240
Speaker 1: to go through what it was going to take to

438
00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:37,600
Speaker 1: win medically?

439
00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:42,119
Speaker 5: Absolutely nothing, only that my aunt died from it in

440
00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:45,000
Speaker 5: the nineties and her daughter had it. But none of

441
00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:47,480
Speaker 5: my sisters have had breath cancer. I'm the baby of

442
00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:52,800
Speaker 5: five girls and my mom didn't have breast cancer. So nothing,

443
00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:54,040
Speaker 5: absolutely nothing.

444
00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:57,000
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, te great question and Synthia for you

445
00:21:57,080 --> 00:22:02,200
Speaker 4: to say nothing, right. So I got my first mammogram

446
00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:04,560
Speaker 4: back in April.

447
00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:05,000
Speaker 3: May of this year.

448
00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:09,880
Speaker 4: So the mammogram comes back and the doctor says, oh,

449
00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:12,320
Speaker 4: I need to get some more images. So I then

450
00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:17,000
Speaker 4: went and got some more images. My mindset immediately was

451
00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:20,720
Speaker 4: she saw something on the mammogram that she didn't like. Now,

452
00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:23,760
Speaker 4: mind you, cancer runs in my family. I lost my

453
00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:28,200
Speaker 4: mom n colon cancer. I lost four ants to breast cancer.

454
00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:35,560
Speaker 4: So I immediately said, it's positive. I got it right here,

455
00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:39,160
Speaker 4: was a good thing. I then went from a mammogram,

456
00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:42,959
Speaker 4: an ultrasound, to a biopsy. I got all of that

457
00:22:43,119 --> 00:22:45,920
Speaker 4: in the same day. And the worst part for me, Cynthia,

458
00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:49,600
Speaker 4: like you, was the waiting. I waited. It wasn't even

459
00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:52,080
Speaker 4: that long, but I waited. I think it was three days.

460
00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:55,720
Speaker 4: Doctor got the results, she called me, Thank god everything

461
00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:58,280
Speaker 4: was negative. But I only bring all that up to say,

462
00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:03,560
Speaker 4: especially in the African American community, we just don't talk

463
00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:07,520
Speaker 4: about it, like we don't sit down and have conversations

464
00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:12,560
Speaker 4: about BREASTKNS or early detection, why it's important to get mammograms,

465
00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:17,000
Speaker 4: because I really do for me personally, especially because it

466
00:23:17,080 --> 00:23:19,960
Speaker 4: runs in my family. I really believe had I had

467
00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:22,840
Speaker 4: conversations with my mom when she was here, with my

468
00:23:22,920 --> 00:23:26,879
Speaker 4: aunts when they were here about early detection and getting

469
00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:30,080
Speaker 4: a mammogram and why it's important, I really think I

470
00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:33,800
Speaker 4: would have been better about doing that and not been

471
00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:35,000
Speaker 4: so scared about it.

472
00:23:35,359 --> 00:23:35,600
Speaker 2: You know.

473
00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:37,719
Speaker 4: That was my thing was I just don't want to know,

474
00:23:38,119 --> 00:23:39,880
Speaker 4: and it should be the opposite, because if you.

475
00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:43,560
Speaker 3: Find out early enough, there are things that can be done.

476
00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:47,439
Speaker 5: Yeah, you know, it's funny you mentioned that show. If

477
00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:50,639
Speaker 5: you think about our generation, just our age, and think

478
00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:53,639
Speaker 5: about our parents generation and their parents, they didn't knowing

479
00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:57,120
Speaker 5: that to prepare us for this. My cousin who I'm

480
00:23:57,160 --> 00:24:01,040
Speaker 5: speaking of, she's twenty years my senior year, and she

481
00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:05,080
Speaker 5: was like, I know it's cancer because my mom had cancer,

482
00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:07,480
Speaker 5: So I'm automatically going to have cancer. She didn't know

483
00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:10,440
Speaker 5: the research or that was just I said, or anything

484
00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:13,000
Speaker 5: like that. She didn't know, you know, and so she

485
00:24:13,119 --> 00:24:15,919
Speaker 5: just automatically assume it was, which unfortunately for her it was.

486
00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:20,080
Speaker 5: But she waited so long, right, I caught my very

487
00:24:20,119 --> 00:24:25,119
Speaker 5: early when I stayed very early. Stage zero dcis h

488
00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:28,520
Speaker 5: ductno carsonoma, I think that's the correct term for it.

489
00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:32,680
Speaker 5: But she found hers and it's already in stage four,

490
00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:34,520
Speaker 5: which is the worst stage of a.

491
00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:36,679
Speaker 2: Cancer, menaesthetic cancer.

492
00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:43,520
Speaker 5: Even her, she went through so many surgeries before she

493
00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:47,880
Speaker 5: finally said, you know, just remove them, just remove them.

494
00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:51,600
Speaker 5: But for me, I didn't have the option. Well I

495
00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:55,320
Speaker 5: did have an option. I actually had three options, but

496
00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:57,800
Speaker 5: the option she offered me were not options because I

497
00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:03,120
Speaker 5: knew if I had taken one, which was, we can

498
00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:05,320
Speaker 5: go in and do an efectomy and try to take

499
00:25:05,359 --> 00:25:08,159
Speaker 5: as much of it out as we can, but we

500
00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:11,000
Speaker 5: can't guarantee it's not going to spread to the other, right.

501
00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:13,800
Speaker 5: I was like, Okay, well that's not an option. Then

502
00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:17,480
Speaker 5: it was we can remove one breast and then you

503
00:25:17,520 --> 00:25:19,720
Speaker 5: know there's no guarantee that it won't go to the

504
00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:21,280
Speaker 5: next breast. I was like, well, that's not an option.

505
00:25:21,359 --> 00:25:23,520
Speaker 2: Need neither, right.

506
00:25:24,160 --> 00:25:25,639
Speaker 5: I need you to do what you need to do

507
00:25:25,720 --> 00:25:28,800
Speaker 5: to make sure my life is saved, which was removing

508
00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:33,359
Speaker 5: both breasts. So that's devastating in itself because that is

509
00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:34,720
Speaker 5: a part of your womanhood.

510
00:25:34,960 --> 00:25:37,000
Speaker 3: Yes, ye, yes, yeah, that.

511
00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:38,879
Speaker 5: Is a part of who you are. And I'm like,

512
00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:41,480
Speaker 5: I've grown these things for thirty years.

513
00:25:41,800 --> 00:25:43,239
Speaker 2: You kind of take it from me.

514
00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:49,240
Speaker 4: Yeah, right, because remember you were in the mirror looking

515
00:25:49,280 --> 00:25:50,920
Speaker 4: at them, how beautiful they were.

516
00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:53,000
Speaker 3: Yes, right.

517
00:26:01,359 --> 00:26:05,240
Speaker 1: I have a grandmother who has survived breast cancer twice.

518
00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:08,680
Speaker 1: I have an aunt who currently just rang the bell

519
00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:12,840
Speaker 1: September twenty seven. She just finished her last chemo treatment

520
00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:16,040
Speaker 1: on September twenty seven, and that aunt is only like

521
00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:20,159
Speaker 1: fifty two years old, right, so's she's not old, you

522
00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:20,720
Speaker 1: know what I mean?

523
00:26:21,040 --> 00:26:22,159
Speaker 6: And then I have a cousin.

524
00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:26,440
Speaker 1: She finished her cancer treatment in twenty twenty one, so

525
00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:29,520
Speaker 1: she found out that she had breast cancer during the pandemic,

526
00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:33,800
Speaker 1: which was really really crazy because how do you balance

527
00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:36,879
Speaker 1: people are already afraid of COVID not being able to

528
00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:40,280
Speaker 1: go into a hospital, and then also finding out that

529
00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:42,800
Speaker 1: you have to go through all of these treatments. You

530
00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:48,119
Speaker 1: were oftentimes alone because unfortunately during the pandemic, you weren't

531
00:26:48,119 --> 00:26:50,879
Speaker 1: allowed to bring visitors in with you to the hospital.

532
00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:53,639
Speaker 1: So for a while for her, she kind of felt

533
00:26:53,680 --> 00:26:56,399
Speaker 1: like she was really doing this on her own to

534
00:26:56,480 --> 00:26:59,840
Speaker 1: battle this. And so I have always grown up a

535
00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:03,680
Speaker 1: with huge breasts, Like I literally just had a breast

536
00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:06,639
Speaker 1: reduction in December because it was bad for my back.

537
00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:09,200
Speaker 1: But at one point I was a forty double n

538
00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:13,760
Speaker 1: in like Nancy, like me, like them boys. Was out

539
00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:20,000
Speaker 1: here right crazy crazy wow crazy. But I always remember

540
00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:24,080
Speaker 1: as a child going to the hospital with my grandmother

541
00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:27,679
Speaker 1: to get her mammogram, So I knew that around the

542
00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:30,760
Speaker 1: time that I was like thirty five forty is when

543
00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:33,320
Speaker 1: I really needed to start. So I've been asking my

544
00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:36,080
Speaker 1: doctors should I start now? Should I start now? And

545
00:27:36,119 --> 00:27:38,399
Speaker 1: they kept saying, no, you can wait, you can wait.

546
00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:41,960
Speaker 1: Well now, I had a breast reduction surgery in December

547
00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:45,320
Speaker 1: of twenty twenty three, so I can't technically do any

548
00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:49,680
Speaker 1: of the radiation or anything until at least twelve months

549
00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:54,000
Speaker 1: past the surgery. But there's always this anxiety that sits

550
00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:57,160
Speaker 1: in my head whenever I feel something weird, or even

551
00:27:57,200 --> 00:27:59,880
Speaker 1: after the surgery, there's still like a little hardness here.

552
00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:01,200
Speaker 2: I clearly I asked.

553
00:28:01,080 --> 00:28:03,800
Speaker 1: My surgeon is this from the surgery or is this

554
00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:06,920
Speaker 1: something else I need to be worrying about? So here

555
00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:11,360
Speaker 1: is always this fear when you have a family history

556
00:28:12,119 --> 00:28:14,159
Speaker 1: of could this be me?

557
00:28:14,359 --> 00:28:17,400
Speaker 6: Will this be me next? But to your point, it's

558
00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:18,440
Speaker 6: so different.

559
00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:21,920
Speaker 1: For us than from our family before us, because we

560
00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:25,879
Speaker 1: have all of this information at our disposal now and

561
00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:28,640
Speaker 1: we really just got to be comfortable with being uncomfortable

562
00:28:28,880 --> 00:28:31,240
Speaker 1: because I think, to your point, Cheryl, we don't have

563
00:28:31,359 --> 00:28:35,639
Speaker 1: these conversations not because there aren't organizations around or the

564
00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:40,040
Speaker 1: information isn't available, right. We scared scared and we kind

565
00:28:40,040 --> 00:28:42,480
Speaker 1: of have that that mentality was if I don't talk

566
00:28:42,520 --> 00:28:45,520
Speaker 1: about it. If I don't think about it, it will

567
00:28:46,040 --> 00:28:49,720
Speaker 1: it's not right out of mind, yeah right, and that's yeah, yeah.

568
00:28:49,880 --> 00:28:54,320
Speaker 4: I think for me, it's just knowing my family history, right,

569
00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:57,200
Speaker 4: and it's not just breast cancer. But I know with

570
00:28:57,280 --> 00:28:59,680
Speaker 4: this being breast cancer Awareness Month, that's why this is

571
00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:02,320
Speaker 4: so important to me. But you know, I lost my

572
00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:06,000
Speaker 4: mom to colon cancer, as I said earlier, four aunts

573
00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:10,080
Speaker 4: to breast cancer. I've lost uncles to prostate cancer. My

574
00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:14,280
Speaker 4: brother just recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. So cancer runs

575
00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:18,720
Speaker 4: in my family. But even in knowing that, I don't

576
00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:22,320
Speaker 4: like talking about it because to your point, T, if

577
00:29:22,360 --> 00:29:25,360
Speaker 4: I don't talk about it, then it doesn't exist, and

578
00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:29,200
Speaker 4: my mindset should be the complete opposite. It should be

579
00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:33,040
Speaker 4: let's talk about it, Let's get manograms, let's get screened

580
00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:35,280
Speaker 4: for prostate cancer, because.

581
00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:40,040
Speaker 3: It's so important. Early detection saves lives. I really truly

582
00:29:40,120 --> 00:29:40,640
Speaker 3: believe that.

583
00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:44,200
Speaker 5: Yes, it's banging you mentioned that show. I became an advocate,

584
00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:46,360
Speaker 5: so I started going to these it's called Young Saviber

585
00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:50,440
Speaker 5: Coalition and I met a girl there who was sixteen

586
00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:52,959
Speaker 5: years old when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer.

587
00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:56,240
Speaker 5: Jesus Young Black lady sixteen years old, and I said

588
00:29:56,320 --> 00:30:00,480
Speaker 5: to myself, at sixteen, how do you get it right?

589
00:30:00,600 --> 00:30:02,600
Speaker 5: How do you figure that out? So then I thought

590
00:30:02,640 --> 00:30:05,320
Speaker 5: back to when I was in college. I went to

591
00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:08,360
Speaker 5: college in New Western State University in Winch, South Falls, Texas,

592
00:30:08,800 --> 00:30:14,520
Speaker 5: and I went in to get my annual and the

593
00:30:14,600 --> 00:30:18,120
Speaker 5: doctor felt something in my breast. My mom had to

594
00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:24,000
Speaker 5: come down and they determined there was only viralsistic tissues growing.

595
00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:27,560
Speaker 5: So now, after I found out I had breast cancer,

596
00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:31,080
Speaker 5: I was wondering if that was the foundation of what

597
00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:34,400
Speaker 5: was to come. And didn't know that you could get

598
00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:37,760
Speaker 5: diagnosed so early, right, And I say, I'm at sixteen

599
00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:39,800
Speaker 5: year olds, I'm at twenty one year old. They were

600
00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:44,160
Speaker 5: further advanced, like stage two or stage three than me, right,

601
00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:47,600
Speaker 5: And so I would go to these meetings like these

602
00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:50,120
Speaker 5: breast cancers Survivors of the World. Right. We would all

603
00:30:50,120 --> 00:30:53,680
Speaker 5: come into these meetings each year, and from year to

604
00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:56,920
Speaker 5: year you would meet one person and the next year

605
00:30:57,040 --> 00:30:59,440
Speaker 5: that person would no longer be there because that passed off. Yeah,

606
00:31:00,080 --> 00:31:04,040
Speaker 5: sad of me so much that I started to really

607
00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:07,000
Speaker 5: involve myself and I need to know more about this

608
00:31:07,080 --> 00:31:09,080
Speaker 5: to see because what did it come back.

609
00:31:09,680 --> 00:31:12,880
Speaker 6: Yeah, that's the thing I know. That certainly is what

610
00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:13,480
Speaker 6: scared me.

611
00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:16,880
Speaker 1: My grandmother was diagnosed twice, and they told her the

612
00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:19,800
Speaker 1: first time that there was still a mass there, but

613
00:31:19,840 --> 00:31:23,880
Speaker 1: it was benign, so like it wasn't spreading. It was good,

614
00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:26,800
Speaker 1: and for a while she felt like everything was good.

615
00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:29,760
Speaker 1: But then maybe about two years later, not even a

616
00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:31,600
Speaker 1: full two years, maybe about a year and a half,

617
00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:33,200
Speaker 1: something just didn't feel right.

618
00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:34,160
Speaker 2: She felt like it was.

619
00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:38,000
Speaker 1: Moving, and they went in and did an ultrasound and

620
00:31:38,040 --> 00:31:40,360
Speaker 1: they did some other tests and only to find out

621
00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:43,960
Speaker 1: that of that mask that was there, it was like

622
00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:47,160
Speaker 1: ninety eight percent benign, but there was like this two

623
00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:48,080
Speaker 1: percent that was.

624
00:31:48,040 --> 00:31:49,040
Speaker 2: Starting to spread.

625
00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:49,640
Speaker 5: Wow.

626
00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:52,320
Speaker 6: And so they asked her if she wanted to do

627
00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:53,000
Speaker 6: a surgery.

628
00:31:53,280 --> 00:31:54,680
Speaker 2: But I believe one.

629
00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:56,440
Speaker 1: Of the options that she was to do a surgery

630
00:31:56,600 --> 00:31:58,280
Speaker 1: is in order to replace the breast.

631
00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:00,120
Speaker 2: There's like these bags, I guess.

632
00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:03,000
Speaker 1: And then you can keep going back ever so many

633
00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:05,880
Speaker 1: months till you reach like the desired size that you

634
00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:08,280
Speaker 1: would have wanted had you retained your breast.

635
00:32:08,320 --> 00:32:10,000
Speaker 2: When my mother was like sixty something years.

636
00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:12,400
Speaker 1: Old, she's like, listen, I ain't about to be going

637
00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:13,520
Speaker 1: through all of these surgeries.

638
00:32:13,560 --> 00:32:15,040
Speaker 2: Because I don't want.

639
00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:18,200
Speaker 1: To put myself in a position to where something else

640
00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:22,200
Speaker 1: goes wrong while I'm having this particular surgery. I don't

641
00:32:22,200 --> 00:32:24,440
Speaker 1: have any you know, she doesn't have any heart issues

642
00:32:24,520 --> 00:32:26,120
Speaker 1: or anything like that, but in her mind, she just

643
00:32:26,200 --> 00:32:29,760
Speaker 1: kept saying, I don't want to do anything that's going to,

644
00:32:30,280 --> 00:32:32,400
Speaker 1: you know, put me in a position at my old

645
00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:36,680
Speaker 1: age to be hit with something else. So, you know,

646
00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:40,360
Speaker 1: long story short, because we are all you know, faith

647
00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:44,280
Speaker 1: based women on this call. Luckily for my grandmother, they

648
00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:47,600
Speaker 1: were able to do a minimally invasive surgery on that

649
00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:52,840
Speaker 1: particular breast to remove that two percent of tissue that

650
00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:55,440
Speaker 1: was causing her issues. And she has not had any

651
00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:59,560
Speaker 1: issues ever since. So this is going on twenty eighteen,

652
00:33:00,400 --> 00:33:04,320
Speaker 1: six years, so she's a six year survivor and it's amazing.

653
00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:06,520
Speaker 1: I'm so proud of her. But one thing that she

654
00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:09,320
Speaker 1: does now, and you kind of touched on it, is

655
00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:13,000
Speaker 1: that she continues to talk to any and everybody who

656
00:33:13,040 --> 00:33:17,000
Speaker 1: she can about ensuring they are staying on point with

657
00:33:17,040 --> 00:33:20,120
Speaker 1: their mammograms, doing the self test, you know. And she

658
00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:22,160
Speaker 1: an old lady from Georgia, so she'd be like, don't

659
00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:24,320
Speaker 1: be scared to touch yourself, bro, just go ahead it

660
00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:28,520
Speaker 1: and again it makes people uncomfortable, but it's that uncomfortable

661
00:33:28,560 --> 00:33:31,120
Speaker 1: conversation that you have to have.

662
00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:34,600
Speaker 6: So you've kind of touched on it. But I would

663
00:33:34,640 --> 00:33:35,240
Speaker 6: love to know.

664
00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:38,560
Speaker 1: You know, since going through your process in order to

665
00:33:38,640 --> 00:33:43,840
Speaker 1: overcome this disease, how else are you ensuring to advocate

666
00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:46,480
Speaker 1: for other women to inspire them, because your story is

667
00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:48,000
Speaker 1: really an inspiration.

668
00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:49,720
Speaker 6: To continue to fight and continue to.

669
00:33:49,720 --> 00:33:51,360
Speaker 2: Get as much information as you can.

670
00:33:51,880 --> 00:33:55,280
Speaker 5: Well, there are times that I was in church, like

671
00:33:55,520 --> 00:33:59,720
Speaker 5: back home, I'm going to speak in women's conferences about it.

672
00:34:00,800 --> 00:34:04,240
Speaker 5: And one of the things that was important to me

673
00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:08,000
Speaker 5: and still is today, but especially then, was the financial

674
00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:11,120
Speaker 5: aspect of this thing. So that biopsy that I said

675
00:34:11,200 --> 00:34:15,200
Speaker 5: hurt so bad cost me eighteen thousand dollars. So not

676
00:34:15,239 --> 00:34:17,160
Speaker 5: only did they put some pain in me, they put

677
00:34:17,160 --> 00:34:20,799
Speaker 5: some pain in that pocket too. But remember I told

678
00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:24,640
Speaker 5: you three years prior to that, I had taken out

679
00:34:24,640 --> 00:34:26,760
Speaker 5: an insurance policy that I didn't know that I would

680
00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:29,600
Speaker 5: need later in life. Yeah, yep, So the three years

681
00:34:29,640 --> 00:34:32,319
Speaker 5: straight I was paid thirty nine dollars and ten cents.

682
00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:35,680
Speaker 5: So April seventh I was diagnosed is when I got

683
00:34:35,680 --> 00:34:39,279
Speaker 5: the call that day, I remembered that that thirty nine

684
00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:41,560
Speaker 5: dollars and ten cents was coming out, so I immediately got

685
00:34:41,600 --> 00:34:44,080
Speaker 5: on the phone and I called these folks and I

686
00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:47,240
Speaker 5: was like, hey, listen, I was just diagnosed with breast cancer.

687
00:34:47,719 --> 00:34:50,520
Speaker 5: I have a Canter policy what I need to do.

688
00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:53,560
Speaker 5: And they're, you know, I'm so sorry, We're going to

689
00:34:53,640 --> 00:34:56,880
Speaker 5: take care of you. And I was like, okay, great,

690
00:34:57,040 --> 00:34:58,839
Speaker 5: so what you need for me? So then I feel

691
00:34:58,880 --> 00:35:01,760
Speaker 5: like this form in fact back to us, blah blah whatever.

692
00:35:02,080 --> 00:35:06,080
Speaker 5: So they paid me just for being diagnosed. And I

693
00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:08,600
Speaker 5: say paid me. They sent me a check for we're

694
00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:13,360
Speaker 5: so sorry. Here's fifteen hundred dollars. Okay, cook, thank you.

695
00:35:13,560 --> 00:35:16,480
Speaker 5: Right right Thursday, the superintendent called me because I was

696
00:35:16,560 --> 00:35:18,640
Speaker 5: the small district there. He called me and he said,

697
00:35:18,640 --> 00:35:21,040
Speaker 5: I'm so sorry to get found the news out. Let

698
00:35:21,080 --> 00:35:23,480
Speaker 5: us know whatever you need and I said, well, the

699
00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:25,279
Speaker 5: doctor said they're gonna because I talked to the docor

700
00:35:25,320 --> 00:35:27,400
Speaker 5: that morning. She said, they're gonna move pretty fast because

701
00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:29,439
Speaker 5: it's such a mask. And let me tell you about

702
00:35:29,440 --> 00:35:31,319
Speaker 5: this mask. Right, so let me put it to you

703
00:35:31,440 --> 00:35:34,680
Speaker 5: so you understand when I say masks. It was the

704
00:35:34,719 --> 00:35:38,319
Speaker 5: size of a blue magic lid, that white lid. Y'all

705
00:35:38,320 --> 00:35:44,040
Speaker 5: know about bluease? Wow, seven point five centimeters diameter in

706
00:35:44,080 --> 00:35:47,520
Speaker 5: one breast. So for those of you who do not know,

707
00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:49,360
Speaker 5: if you listen to this podcast, you or not, you

708
00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:51,640
Speaker 5: not know what blue magic hair grease is, You're gonna

709
00:35:51,640 --> 00:35:53,800
Speaker 5: put it to you in another way. She's the bottom

710
00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:57,040
Speaker 5: of a mason jar of best size, bottom of a

711
00:35:57,040 --> 00:35:59,239
Speaker 5: mason jar. Because I'm looking up this stuff and they

712
00:35:59,360 --> 00:36:01,239
Speaker 5: and she told me because that day she just told

713
00:36:01,280 --> 00:36:03,200
Speaker 5: me I had breast cancer that Wednesday. So that Thursday

714
00:36:03,239 --> 00:36:05,680
Speaker 5: we deal on the phone. I'm like, okay, let's go

715
00:36:05,840 --> 00:36:08,000
Speaker 5: what's up whatever, what are you going to do? Because

716
00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:10,200
Speaker 5: I had prayed about it that night, talked to my family,

717
00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:12,680
Speaker 5: called all my siblings. This is what it is. I

718
00:36:12,680 --> 00:36:15,440
Speaker 5: don't know the extent other than at the earliest stages.

719
00:36:15,480 --> 00:36:17,359
Speaker 5: So that's a good thing. So I get a phone

720
00:36:17,360 --> 00:36:19,319
Speaker 5: with the doctor. She's telling me all the things. So

721
00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:21,799
Speaker 5: she said seven point five centimes down and I'm like,

722
00:36:21,880 --> 00:36:24,399
Speaker 5: I teach English, no math like that. So I went

723
00:36:24,440 --> 00:36:28,160
Speaker 5: to googling and that's what up here. So I'm like, okay,

724
00:36:28,239 --> 00:36:32,319
Speaker 5: this is large. This is not something small. That's when

725
00:36:32,320 --> 00:36:34,200
Speaker 5: she was telling me it's so large that you know,

726
00:36:34,239 --> 00:36:37,600
Speaker 5: we need to remove it, remove it whatever. So ended

727
00:36:37,680 --> 00:36:40,080
Speaker 5: up having the ladder of mistake me, which is having

728
00:36:40,120 --> 00:36:41,120
Speaker 5: both restroommoved.

729
00:36:41,760 --> 00:36:42,200
Speaker 2: So that's that.

730
00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:44,080
Speaker 5: Phone called the superintendent. He said, if you need some

731
00:36:44,120 --> 00:36:45,440
Speaker 5: time off and sad, I'm gonna have to have surgery

732
00:36:45,520 --> 00:36:48,000
Speaker 5: pretty quick and they want to do it fast. And

733
00:36:48,040 --> 00:36:50,839
Speaker 5: he said, okay, So how many days do you have left?

734
00:36:50,880 --> 00:36:53,040
Speaker 5: I said, I've been taking off days because I have

735
00:36:53,120 --> 00:36:54,680
Speaker 5: been going to these apartments. I said I don't have

736
00:36:54,719 --> 00:36:57,040
Speaker 5: a lots, and he's like, we'll get you the days.

737
00:36:57,120 --> 00:37:00,239
Speaker 5: Don't worry about that because I take off May from

738
00:37:00,239 --> 00:37:01,279
Speaker 5: May all out.

739
00:37:01,320 --> 00:37:02,919
Speaker 2: I was out of there. Wow, he said.

740
00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:04,600
Speaker 5: The secretary was a talk tea. So I said, okay,

741
00:37:04,640 --> 00:37:07,640
Speaker 5: thank you, and he said, I'm so sorry. Cynthia. She said,

742
00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:12,239
Speaker 5: but the entrance guys coming to school on Tuesday, can

743
00:37:12,280 --> 00:37:14,560
Speaker 5: you meet with him so that you guys, can you know,

744
00:37:14,680 --> 00:37:16,279
Speaker 5: work out all the things. I was like, yes, because

745
00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:17,560
Speaker 5: I fill out these forums and I don't know if

746
00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:19,400
Speaker 5: feel not right, so it's perfect. I just hang on

747
00:37:19,480 --> 00:37:21,600
Speaker 5: to them. When he comes in, I'll give them to him.

748
00:37:22,719 --> 00:37:24,840
Speaker 5: So fast forward to Tuesday for my kids in the

749
00:37:24,880 --> 00:37:27,040
Speaker 5: library because We're working on research papers at that time

750
00:37:27,160 --> 00:37:29,600
Speaker 5: to teacher sophomore English. And by the way, one of

751
00:37:29,600 --> 00:37:32,080
Speaker 5: my students did advance to State that year. She got third.

752
00:37:32,160 --> 00:37:37,080
Speaker 5: So right, those kids, those kids were amazing their families.

753
00:37:37,239 --> 00:37:40,520
Speaker 5: When I said they rallied, they rallied for me. So

754
00:37:40,960 --> 00:37:44,640
Speaker 5: Tuesday I go into the teacher's workroom and I have

755
00:37:44,760 --> 00:37:46,560
Speaker 5: these papers and I was all like, thank you so

756
00:37:46,640 --> 00:37:49,000
Speaker 5: much for coming out and meeting with me. I don't

757
00:37:49,040 --> 00:37:51,560
Speaker 5: know what to do because I've never experienced anything like this,

758
00:37:51,680 --> 00:37:56,080
Speaker 5: but any help with this is greatly appreciated. So he

759
00:37:56,160 --> 00:37:58,600
Speaker 5: comes in and I said, here's the forums that you

760
00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:01,040
Speaker 5: guys told me to fill out them all, and so

761
00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:03,080
Speaker 5: I'm given to you. And he looked at the forums

762
00:38:04,160 --> 00:38:07,879
Speaker 5: and he said, these are not my forms, and I said, yes,

763
00:38:07,920 --> 00:38:09,720
Speaker 5: they are because I pay you thirty nine dollars intentions

764
00:38:09,719 --> 00:38:11,120
Speaker 5: in thirty months and these are your forms.

765
00:38:11,280 --> 00:38:12,360
Speaker 2: These are your forms.

766
00:38:12,360 --> 00:38:15,439
Speaker 5: These are your forms. And he says no. I said, well,

767
00:38:15,719 --> 00:38:17,520
Speaker 5: if they're not yours, SU's right there. The legit what

768
00:38:17,800 --> 00:38:20,040
Speaker 5: am I pays? But I've got scammed, you know. He

769
00:38:20,200 --> 00:38:22,839
Speaker 5: was all like, no, this is a legit policy. You've

770
00:38:22,880 --> 00:38:25,239
Speaker 5: been paid every month. This is a company. It's fine.

771
00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:27,480
Speaker 5: I said, well, then who are you and he said, well,

772
00:38:27,480 --> 00:38:29,640
Speaker 5: you have a policy with me too. I said what

773
00:38:30,239 --> 00:38:32,319
Speaker 5: he said? Yeah, he said, when you started working over here,

774
00:38:32,360 --> 00:38:34,080
Speaker 5: he filled out this policy and they were taking them

775
00:38:34,080 --> 00:38:36,600
Speaker 5: back out of your check every month. And so you

776
00:38:36,719 --> 00:38:40,600
Speaker 5: have a policy with me too. I said, wait, I said,

777
00:38:40,600 --> 00:38:41,279
Speaker 5: what does that mean?

778
00:38:41,320 --> 00:38:44,160
Speaker 6: Because so you had two policies pretty much.

779
00:38:44,200 --> 00:38:46,799
Speaker 3: To cancer policy that you weren't aware of that.

780
00:38:46,760 --> 00:38:48,160
Speaker 5: I was not aware of. I knew I had the

781
00:38:48,200 --> 00:38:50,800
Speaker 5: one because I was paid thirty nine dollars intensis three months,

782
00:38:50,840 --> 00:38:52,319
Speaker 5: but I did not know I had the other one.

783
00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:55,840
Speaker 5: And this is, like I said, I began to fill myself,

784
00:38:55,880 --> 00:38:58,719
Speaker 5: be lifted, carried almost. God was like, I got you.

785
00:38:58,800 --> 00:39:00,760
Speaker 5: Remember you prayed for this, he said, you were gonna

786
00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:03,760
Speaker 5: do this. You stuck to that. You were in church.

787
00:39:04,840 --> 00:39:07,200
Speaker 5: You've been in church with praying and crime, and here

788
00:39:07,280 --> 00:39:09,560
Speaker 5: I am, so let me guide you. That's big to me.

789
00:39:09,640 --> 00:39:11,840
Speaker 5: You know, I'm not always making sure that I'm financially

790
00:39:11,880 --> 00:39:13,520
Speaker 5: secure in a way that I have to take care

791
00:39:13,520 --> 00:39:17,520
Speaker 5: of myself. The time wasn't married or whatever. So when

792
00:39:17,520 --> 00:39:20,040
Speaker 5: I tell y'all, ladies, and this is another one, when

793
00:39:20,080 --> 00:39:23,440
Speaker 5: you asked about advocating. I advocate for not only my health,

794
00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:26,919
Speaker 5: but I have to advocate finances too for people, because

795
00:39:26,920 --> 00:39:28,600
Speaker 5: if you don't know, you just don't know, right. And

796
00:39:28,640 --> 00:39:31,239
Speaker 5: I didn't know, right, I said, so what am I

797
00:39:31,320 --> 00:39:33,160
Speaker 5: to do? He said, collect from them, because you pay

798
00:39:33,200 --> 00:39:35,240
Speaker 5: them and we're gonna pay you too. I said, okay.

799
00:39:35,680 --> 00:39:38,879
Speaker 5: So they're like, again, we're sorry going through this. Here's

800
00:39:38,880 --> 00:39:42,120
Speaker 5: a check. That check was a like twenty five hundred dollars,

801
00:39:42,120 --> 00:39:44,400
Speaker 5: so I'm already up four thousand. I'm like, oh, okay,

802
00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:47,160
Speaker 5: this is what we're doing. Okay, they're scarcy. You think

803
00:39:47,239 --> 00:39:50,840
Speaker 5: you're doing stuff. You're not doing that. You know, they

804
00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:52,239
Speaker 5: and me, right?

805
00:39:52,600 --> 00:39:52,839
Speaker 2: I had.

806
00:39:53,160 --> 00:39:56,560
Speaker 5: My first surgery was to remove the masks. My second

807
00:39:56,760 --> 00:39:59,120
Speaker 5: surgery was to add expenders. And you spoke with your

808
00:39:59,120 --> 00:40:03,200
Speaker 5: grandmother having these things put in to yes, justicize, those

809
00:40:03,200 --> 00:40:06,040
Speaker 5: are called expanders. I had those. Okay, that was so

810
00:40:06,080 --> 00:40:08,719
Speaker 5: that was my second surgery. Third surgery was removing those.

811
00:40:09,120 --> 00:40:12,600
Speaker 5: Fourth surgery was an implant. Fifth surgery one of the

812
00:40:12,600 --> 00:40:17,640
Speaker 5: implants ruptured. Sixth surgery. In that one whole year, like

813
00:40:17,760 --> 00:40:21,520
Speaker 5: almost year and a half, I had to have another

814
00:40:21,640 --> 00:40:25,120
Speaker 5: mergency surgery because went to New York for a journalism

815
00:40:25,200 --> 00:40:27,600
Speaker 5: conference called an infection in that So this is my

816
00:40:27,719 --> 00:40:31,000
Speaker 5: sixth surgery. Was sick from that infection. I had to

817
00:40:31,080 --> 00:40:33,760
Speaker 5: go back. So this is what I'm telling you, guys.

818
00:40:34,080 --> 00:40:37,080
Speaker 5: Sometimes it's not just as easy as a one stop shop.

819
00:40:37,160 --> 00:40:38,960
Speaker 5: It's so many things that could.

820
00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:42,920
Speaker 6: So many, so many I mean levels to this, it's

821
00:40:42,960 --> 00:40:43,640
Speaker 6: so many.

822
00:40:43,520 --> 00:40:44,160
Speaker 5: Levels to this.

823
00:40:45,719 --> 00:40:49,160
Speaker 3: Definitely levels, yeah, definitely levels.

824
00:40:49,280 --> 00:41:01,160
Speaker 6: Yes, I know we were talking about.

825
00:41:01,520 --> 00:41:04,879
Speaker 1: You know, you just had six surgeries all within a year.

826
00:41:05,160 --> 00:41:08,640
Speaker 1: There's an entirely separate treatment process that you had to

827
00:41:08,680 --> 00:41:11,920
Speaker 1: go through outside of that. But when you were able

828
00:41:12,040 --> 00:41:15,160
Speaker 1: to I guess kind of get your feet underneath you.

829
00:41:15,960 --> 00:41:19,799
Speaker 1: What was the process like for you mentally to try

830
00:41:19,800 --> 00:41:21,360
Speaker 1: to find some normalcy?

831
00:41:21,600 --> 00:41:22,960
Speaker 2: What did normal.

832
00:41:22,719 --> 00:41:26,480
Speaker 1: Look like after having going through all of what you've

833
00:41:26,520 --> 00:41:27,360
Speaker 1: had to go through.

834
00:41:27,719 --> 00:41:37,200
Speaker 5: Well, dating intimacy was so painful, I can imagine. Yeah,

835
00:41:37,719 --> 00:41:41,840
Speaker 5: I wasn't sure if I'd be accepted or you know,

836
00:41:42,239 --> 00:41:46,840
Speaker 5: because I don't have real breast, I knew that it

837
00:41:46,880 --> 00:41:49,799
Speaker 5: would be weird. I've scars, but I just had to

838
00:41:49,840 --> 00:41:53,319
Speaker 5: come to grips with myself and say, and these are

839
00:41:53,360 --> 00:41:55,920
Speaker 5: your battle scars, baby. If they can't accept that, that'll

840
00:41:55,920 --> 00:41:57,000
Speaker 5: need you anyway.

841
00:41:58,440 --> 00:41:58,880
Speaker 2: Period.

842
00:41:59,360 --> 00:42:01,680
Speaker 5: So that was just one of the things. It wasn't

843
00:42:01,719 --> 00:42:04,360
Speaker 5: a mental tear down. I guess I could say that

844
00:42:04,400 --> 00:42:07,560
Speaker 5: because I was so young. Right, the doctor opted to

845
00:42:07,600 --> 00:42:13,319
Speaker 5: not have chemotherapy because the mass had not spread. I

846
00:42:13,360 --> 00:42:16,359
Speaker 5: have to do six weeks day for day, five days

847
00:42:16,400 --> 00:42:20,440
Speaker 5: a week of radiation. So that was every day my

848
00:42:20,560 --> 00:42:24,880
Speaker 5: whole summer break. Six weeks day in day out burns.

849
00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:27,360
Speaker 5: I have one breast that's darker than the other breasts,

850
00:42:28,040 --> 00:42:32,759
Speaker 5: right because of the radiation burn. So that part wasn't

851
00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:35,120
Speaker 5: as bad. It was just six weeks is a long

852
00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:37,560
Speaker 5: time when you think, gosh, I gotta do this every day.

853
00:42:37,760 --> 00:42:40,319
Speaker 5: I mean every day, like five days a week. You

854
00:42:40,320 --> 00:42:42,880
Speaker 5: got a break on Saturday, Sunday, and on Saturday and Sundays.

855
00:42:42,880 --> 00:42:45,279
Speaker 5: At that time, you were just trying to heal from

856
00:42:45,320 --> 00:42:48,879
Speaker 5: the burn with the creem on. But laying on your

857
00:42:48,920 --> 00:42:53,600
Speaker 5: back with these thousands of rays coming, you know into

858
00:42:53,640 --> 00:42:58,600
Speaker 5: your body, you get nauseous. It's not ideal. Yeah, But

859
00:42:59,080 --> 00:43:01,840
Speaker 5: that was me praying, I need patience because this is tough.

860
00:43:02,800 --> 00:43:05,400
Speaker 1: Well, you know they're saying the saying is patience is virtue,

861
00:43:05,440 --> 00:43:07,680
Speaker 1: But honey, I ain't figured that out yet.

862
00:43:08,080 --> 00:43:08,560
Speaker 3: And I have.

863
00:43:08,840 --> 00:43:10,239
Speaker 2: I ain't figured that out yet.

864
00:43:10,600 --> 00:43:16,800
Speaker 1: I have no patience none. So as we look forward

865
00:43:17,040 --> 00:43:22,480
Speaker 1: to like next steps and if there is any I

866
00:43:22,520 --> 00:43:26,400
Speaker 1: don't even want to say advice, but just thinking about

867
00:43:26,520 --> 00:43:30,399
Speaker 1: you know how what you have had to endure has

868
00:43:30,480 --> 00:43:33,839
Speaker 1: kind of helped make you who you are. What do

869
00:43:33,880 --> 00:43:36,200
Speaker 1: you or how do you describe like the person that

870
00:43:36,239 --> 00:43:39,680
Speaker 1: you are now versus the person that you were before

871
00:43:39,719 --> 00:43:42,640
Speaker 1: having to fight this battle with breast cancer.

872
00:43:43,239 --> 00:43:46,239
Speaker 5: Well, I've learned a lot of things. One I've learned

873
00:43:46,239 --> 00:43:50,920
Speaker 5: for sure is I'm not exempt, right, I'm not exempt

874
00:43:50,920 --> 00:43:55,400
Speaker 5: from whatever it's supposed to happen. I'm not exempt from

875
00:43:55,800 --> 00:44:00,400
Speaker 5: breast cancer. I'm not exempt from anything that is supposed

876
00:44:00,400 --> 00:44:03,080
Speaker 5: to happen to me. So once you accept that and

877
00:44:03,120 --> 00:44:06,320
Speaker 5: you know, you know, hey it could happen, it can happen.

878
00:44:06,560 --> 00:44:09,520
Speaker 5: One thing I would also tell people is you have

879
00:44:09,600 --> 00:44:13,319
Speaker 5: to be an advocate for yourself right. One of the

880
00:44:13,360 --> 00:44:18,400
Speaker 5: friends that I met in this journey, she was explaining

881
00:44:18,480 --> 00:44:20,759
Speaker 5: to me that she would go to the doctor and

882
00:44:20,840 --> 00:44:23,640
Speaker 5: go to the doctor because her body just wasn't feeling right,

883
00:44:23,719 --> 00:44:26,000
Speaker 5: and they would say, oh, it's nothing, you're fine, You'll

884
00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:28,640
Speaker 5: find your fat And she said, and when she finally

885
00:44:28,719 --> 00:44:30,799
Speaker 5: got to see a doctor who would listen to her.

886
00:44:31,280 --> 00:44:34,960
Speaker 5: Her breast cancer had already advanced to stage three. Right,

887
00:44:35,200 --> 00:44:38,800
Speaker 5: And so you see so many stories of women of color,

888
00:44:39,040 --> 00:44:42,360
Speaker 5: for sure, who they won't listen to you. Yeah, I

889
00:44:42,400 --> 00:44:44,560
Speaker 5: mean doctors just won't listen to you because they feel

890
00:44:44,560 --> 00:44:47,600
Speaker 5: like I don't know, I don't know. I can't say why.

891
00:44:47,640 --> 00:44:49,279
Speaker 5: I can't see why they will listen to you. But

892
00:44:49,640 --> 00:44:52,919
Speaker 5: I will say this, be your own personal advocate. If

893
00:44:53,400 --> 00:44:57,200
Speaker 5: nothing else, it is important that if something's not right,

894
00:44:57,239 --> 00:45:01,160
Speaker 5: something's not right today. Twelve years old later, I went

895
00:45:01,200 --> 00:45:02,920
Speaker 5: to the doctor what a couple of weeks ago, CHERYLO

896
00:45:03,040 --> 00:45:05,360
Speaker 5: was tell you about this? Because I felt a not

897
00:45:06,400 --> 00:45:10,240
Speaker 5: small map in my right breast where the cancer began.

898
00:45:10,680 --> 00:45:15,880
Speaker 5: So I immediately called my wi Joyanne here in Houston

899
00:45:15,960 --> 00:45:18,280
Speaker 5: because all of my other falls are back in Lubbock,

900
00:45:18,360 --> 00:45:20,879
Speaker 5: of course, and I said, listen, I've had breast cancer

901
00:45:20,960 --> 00:45:23,960
Speaker 5: telve years ago. I felt something I need to be seen.

902
00:45:24,560 --> 00:45:24,719
Speaker 2: Yeah.

903
00:45:24,760 --> 00:45:26,879
Speaker 5: So she got back with me within a week, went in.

904
00:45:27,400 --> 00:45:30,360
Speaker 5: They and I had had a manogram in twelve years

905
00:45:30,520 --> 00:45:32,839
Speaker 5: why because I have no breast issue? Came in, did

906
00:45:32,840 --> 00:45:38,319
Speaker 5: the ultrasound tiny like fingertip tiny, but I can feel it.

907
00:45:38,480 --> 00:45:41,279
Speaker 5: I can feel it to even now, So it's enough

908
00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:44,120
Speaker 5: to scare me because again I'm not an exempt for

909
00:45:44,600 --> 00:45:45,239
Speaker 5: it coming back.

910
00:45:45,840 --> 00:45:46,240
Speaker 2: Yeah.

911
00:45:46,680 --> 00:45:50,080
Speaker 5: So she goes in, we do the ultrasound. She goes, well,

912
00:45:50,080 --> 00:45:52,120
Speaker 5: we're gonna do a mammogram because mamogram can tell you

913
00:45:52,160 --> 00:45:54,480
Speaker 5: more than what the ultrasun can. And I sat there

914
00:45:54,680 --> 00:46:00,840
Speaker 5: after the mammogram and I cried so bad because this

915
00:46:01,120 --> 00:46:07,040
Speaker 5: was me twelve years ago all over again. She came in,

916
00:46:07,160 --> 00:46:10,440
Speaker 5: she said, it's just scart to sheep from your surgery.

917
00:46:10,560 --> 00:46:14,000
Speaker 2: From the surgery. Yeah, I know all about that.

918
00:46:14,239 --> 00:46:17,120
Speaker 1: Yeah, but it's the fact that they listen to you

919
00:46:17,360 --> 00:46:20,839
Speaker 1: and text what you were saying seriously, because you're right,

920
00:46:20,920 --> 00:46:24,600
Speaker 1: there were a lot of places that don't really listen

921
00:46:24,800 --> 00:46:28,000
Speaker 1: to what their patients are saying. It's like, you may

922
00:46:28,000 --> 00:46:30,360
Speaker 1: be a medical doctor, so you know all this medical

923
00:46:30,480 --> 00:46:33,840
Speaker 1: jargon that we don't know, but we know what's going

924
00:46:33,920 --> 00:46:37,279
Speaker 1: on with our bodies, like we know when something's not right.

925
00:46:37,680 --> 00:46:41,080
Speaker 5: Yes, So I say, be an advocate for yourself, for

926
00:46:41,200 --> 00:46:46,360
Speaker 5: your health, for your finances, get a small policy because again,

927
00:46:46,920 --> 00:46:50,080
Speaker 5: you just never know. Yeah, and let me tell you

928
00:46:50,080 --> 00:46:53,520
Speaker 5: about the blessings of God, right, when I began to

929
00:46:53,520 --> 00:46:57,840
Speaker 5: feel carried after they told me you have two policies,

930
00:46:57,960 --> 00:47:00,840
Speaker 5: just cashing both of them. Had to get to feel

931
00:47:00,920 --> 00:47:02,800
Speaker 5: Cary like that weight had just been lifted, because that

932
00:47:02,880 --> 00:47:03,920
Speaker 5: weight was only girl.

933
00:47:04,280 --> 00:47:07,839
Speaker 1: Yes, yeah, my shoulders, because that's expensive, right.

934
00:47:07,880 --> 00:47:09,839
Speaker 5: I know, I'm about to spend some money. And as

935
00:47:09,880 --> 00:47:12,000
Speaker 5: a teacher, you know, teachers don't make with.

936
00:47:12,040 --> 00:47:12,359
Speaker 6: It, y'all.

937
00:47:12,360 --> 00:47:15,560
Speaker 1: Ain't making all money like that day, don't make it

938
00:47:15,600 --> 00:47:16,200
Speaker 1: all money like that.

939
00:47:16,560 --> 00:47:17,120
Speaker 2: Yeah.

940
00:47:17,200 --> 00:47:20,160
Speaker 5: All like I said, was thank you Jesus, thank you God,

941
00:47:20,520 --> 00:47:24,560
Speaker 5: because with the devilments for evil, God turned into something great.

942
00:47:24,360 --> 00:47:24,920
Speaker 3: For my life.

943
00:47:24,920 --> 00:47:25,359
Speaker 2: I'm good.

944
00:47:25,680 --> 00:47:29,280
Speaker 1: There are too many women, especially black and brown women,

945
00:47:29,480 --> 00:47:34,080
Speaker 1: who unfortunately don't have that same outcome. So it is

946
00:47:34,120 --> 00:47:36,640
Speaker 1: absolutely a blessing that you are still here, Cynthia, to

947
00:47:36,680 --> 00:47:37,520
Speaker 1: tell your story.

948
00:47:38,120 --> 00:47:40,759
Speaker 5: I haven't got to really share my story like this

949
00:47:40,880 --> 00:47:43,719
Speaker 5: in a while, right, because life happens and you just

950
00:47:43,800 --> 00:47:46,800
Speaker 5: move on and you go in and so anytime I

951
00:47:46,800 --> 00:47:51,280
Speaker 5: get the opportunity, I always want to tell you know, women, listen,

952
00:47:51,640 --> 00:47:55,240
Speaker 5: Breast cancer Awareness month is October, but breast cancer weariness

953
00:47:55,320 --> 00:47:57,719
Speaker 5: should be three sixty.

954
00:47:57,160 --> 00:48:00,160
Speaker 3: Five one hundred percent, one hundred percent.

955
00:48:00,680 --> 00:48:04,440
Speaker 5: Yeah, listen to your body and trust what it's telling me.

956
00:48:04,920 --> 00:48:05,520
Speaker 2: I love it.

957
00:48:06,000 --> 00:48:09,960
Speaker 4: Thank you, Thank you, Cynthia, Thank you, Cynthia.

958
00:48:11,440 --> 00:48:17,799
Speaker 2: Sure all that was first of all, everything everything right,

959
00:48:18,080 --> 00:48:19,440
Speaker 2: Like everything.

960
00:48:19,600 --> 00:48:25,120
Speaker 1: Cynthia really gave us so much information, and honestly, like

961
00:48:25,160 --> 00:48:27,560
Speaker 1: I admire her and women like her because I don't

962
00:48:27,600 --> 00:48:32,799
Speaker 1: know if I have that kind of strength, resiliency determination.

963
00:48:32,920 --> 00:48:34,399
Speaker 1: I don't know if I got it, Like I think

964
00:48:34,440 --> 00:48:36,239
Speaker 1: I got it, but I don't really know if I

965
00:48:36,239 --> 00:48:36,719
Speaker 1: got it.

966
00:48:37,719 --> 00:48:39,840
Speaker 4: Well, y'all can't see me, but I already got tears

967
00:48:39,880 --> 00:48:44,560
Speaker 4: in my eyes. Just first of all, the you do

968
00:48:44,640 --> 00:48:45,560
Speaker 4: have it, but.

969
00:48:45,480 --> 00:48:49,319
Speaker 3: Maybe it's it's on a different level. Because my thing

970
00:48:49,400 --> 00:48:50,920
Speaker 3: is this, for anyone.

971
00:48:50,520 --> 00:48:57,240
Speaker 4: Who has and is battling any type of cancer, right,

972
00:48:57,440 --> 00:49:01,640
Speaker 4: it's hard and for her to have the strength and

973
00:49:01,680 --> 00:49:05,839
Speaker 4: the courage to talk about it, so you're having to

974
00:49:05,960 --> 00:49:11,799
Speaker 4: relive that moment, right Like I got emotional hearing her

975
00:49:11,920 --> 00:49:17,560
Speaker 4: story and talking about it because it just I reflected

976
00:49:17,800 --> 00:49:20,600
Speaker 4: so much on my personal scare.

977
00:49:21,360 --> 00:49:22,280
Speaker 2: My mom had.

978
00:49:22,200 --> 00:49:26,600
Speaker 4: Thirteen brothers and sisters, and at least eight of them

979
00:49:26,680 --> 00:49:29,759
Speaker 4: passed away from some form of cancer. I lost my

980
00:49:29,800 --> 00:49:34,280
Speaker 4: mom to colon cancer, uncles to prostate cancer, I lost

981
00:49:34,320 --> 00:49:43,000
Speaker 4: aunts to breast cancer and it's such a an emotional

982
00:49:43,360 --> 00:49:46,400
Speaker 4: thing for me. But I also feel like it's a

983
00:49:46,640 --> 00:49:51,000
Speaker 4: needed space for women, even for men, right to talk

984
00:49:51,040 --> 00:49:54,000
Speaker 4: about because and Cynthia said, I don't really.

985
00:49:53,800 --> 00:49:54,719
Speaker 2: Talk about it much.

986
00:49:54,920 --> 00:49:57,600
Speaker 4: I don't really have anywhere I can go or anybody

987
00:49:57,640 --> 00:49:59,640
Speaker 4: I can talk to. So to be able to give

988
00:49:59,680 --> 00:50:03,239
Speaker 4: her that space to share her story, my hopes ta

989
00:50:03,520 --> 00:50:08,480
Speaker 4: are that someone will listen to this episode and hear

990
00:50:08,640 --> 00:50:12,719
Speaker 4: her story and how she survived right, she is a

991
00:50:12,840 --> 00:50:14,520
Speaker 4: true survivor.

992
00:50:14,600 --> 00:50:17,680
Speaker 3: And go get your mammogram.

993
00:50:18,000 --> 00:50:22,359
Speaker 4: Early detection is key, and so many of us are

994
00:50:22,440 --> 00:50:26,480
Speaker 4: afraid of what might be there, what the doctors might

995
00:50:26,520 --> 00:50:28,239
Speaker 4: find that we would rather not know.

996
00:50:28,719 --> 00:50:31,160
Speaker 3: And I want to say this. I was the same way.

997
00:50:32,040 --> 00:50:35,959
Speaker 4: And when I got my mammogram early May of this year,

998
00:50:37,280 --> 00:50:39,359
Speaker 4: initially she was like, Okay, it's good. Then she saw

999
00:50:39,400 --> 00:50:41,920
Speaker 4: some images that she was like, I don't like this.

1000
00:50:42,040 --> 00:50:43,719
Speaker 4: We need to go get an ultrasound. I got an

1001
00:50:43,800 --> 00:50:47,719
Speaker 4: ultrasound the same day I actually got a biopsy, and

1002
00:50:48,239 --> 00:50:50,960
Speaker 4: we talked about it. You mentioned it that waiting period

1003
00:50:51,200 --> 00:50:55,799
Speaker 4: of getting the results back the longest time ever, And

1004
00:50:55,840 --> 00:50:57,759
Speaker 4: it only took three or four days for me to

1005
00:50:57,760 --> 00:51:01,440
Speaker 4: get my results back. And thank god everything came back okay.

1006
00:51:01,520 --> 00:51:05,319
Speaker 4: But you know, the thought of the doctor coming to

1007
00:51:05,360 --> 00:51:14,600
Speaker 4: you saying you have cancer, it just puts me in

1008
00:51:14,680 --> 00:51:16,719
Speaker 4: a space where I'm like, I don't know how I

1009
00:51:16,719 --> 00:51:20,279
Speaker 4: would react, but I do know this early detection is

1010
00:51:20,360 --> 00:51:23,799
Speaker 4: key so that if they do find something early enough.

1011
00:51:24,000 --> 00:51:25,759
Speaker 3: It's treatable, it's curable.

1012
00:51:26,239 --> 00:51:29,839
Speaker 4: So thank you to Cynthia for coming on for enlightening us,

1013
00:51:29,880 --> 00:51:33,120
Speaker 4: because there's so much out there that I don't know.

1014
00:51:33,480 --> 00:51:36,040
Speaker 4: But thank you Cynthia for sharing your story with us

1015
00:51:36,120 --> 00:51:37,080
Speaker 4: and to our listeners.

1016
00:51:37,760 --> 00:51:42,000
Speaker 1: Absolutely, we absolutely love that. We absolutely appreciate her. And

1017
00:51:42,040 --> 00:51:46,160
Speaker 1: there are so many different organizations that are out there

1018
00:51:46,200 --> 00:51:50,840
Speaker 1: that are providing information. You are an ambassador for Ratneck.

1019
00:51:51,160 --> 00:51:54,640
Speaker 1: You have been talking about breast cancer awareness and the

1020
00:51:54,680 --> 00:51:57,839
Speaker 1: importance of early detection, and Mammo Grahams you know, as

1021
00:51:57,880 --> 00:51:59,560
Speaker 1: we talked about on the show, my grandmother is a

1022
00:51:59,560 --> 00:52:02,560
Speaker 1: two time survivor, so she's very involved with the Susions

1023
00:52:02,600 --> 00:52:06,320
Speaker 1: g Coman Association. So I always try to raise money

1024
00:52:06,400 --> 00:52:08,439
Speaker 1: or do something that I can in that way.

1025
00:52:08,960 --> 00:52:09,640
Speaker 2: Have talked to.

1026
00:52:09,800 --> 00:52:12,840
Speaker 1: People at the Sisters Network in Houston, Texas. They're an

1027
00:52:12,920 --> 00:52:17,080
Speaker 1: organization that focus on breast cancer awareness, and research specifically

1028
00:52:17,120 --> 00:52:17,800
Speaker 1: for black.

1029
00:52:17,560 --> 00:52:18,280
Speaker 2: And brown women.

1030
00:52:18,560 --> 00:52:21,120
Speaker 1: So there are just so many organizations and places that

1031
00:52:21,160 --> 00:52:24,120
Speaker 1: you can go to get information that are way more

1032
00:52:24,480 --> 00:52:27,719
Speaker 1: advanced now than there were in the past. So we

1033
00:52:27,880 --> 00:52:29,600
Speaker 1: just you know, here at levels to this want to

1034
00:52:29,640 --> 00:52:32,960
Speaker 1: just encourage everybody and men to let's not you know,

1035
00:52:33,120 --> 00:52:36,400
Speaker 1: I don't want to be sure that they have breast

1036
00:52:36,400 --> 00:52:40,240
Speaker 1: cancer because men can get it to So just everyone,

1037
00:52:40,320 --> 00:52:42,279
Speaker 1: take care of yourselves, take care of your bodies, and

1038
00:52:42,800 --> 00:52:45,160
Speaker 1: are you going to level us up today?

1039
00:52:45,560 --> 00:52:46,640
Speaker 2: I got something for y'all.

1040
00:52:46,760 --> 00:52:50,839
Speaker 4: This one is really short and sweet, but based off

1041
00:52:50,840 --> 00:52:53,360
Speaker 4: of our conversation and with it being breast cancer or

1042
00:52:53,360 --> 00:52:57,279
Speaker 4: awareness months, I really want to try to leave view

1043
00:52:57,320 --> 00:53:00,279
Speaker 4: all with something encouraging because I know they're can be

1044
00:53:00,360 --> 00:53:03,320
Speaker 4: days and moments. My mom again passed away from colon

1045
00:53:03,400 --> 00:53:07,400
Speaker 4: cancer and there were days where she was just like

1046
00:53:07,680 --> 00:53:10,520
Speaker 4: I just don't have the strength anymore. And I'm sure

1047
00:53:10,520 --> 00:53:12,960
Speaker 4: there's so many people out there who feel that way.

1048
00:53:13,040 --> 00:53:17,280
Speaker 4: So this is for you, and it says the struggle

1049
00:53:17,600 --> 00:53:21,880
Speaker 4: you're in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow.

1050
00:53:22,960 --> 00:53:28,160
Speaker 2: So don't give up. Short sweet, and that is a word,

1051
00:53:28,400 --> 00:53:30,960
Speaker 2: keep fighting. We got you, We hear you.

1052
00:53:31,160 --> 00:53:34,600
Speaker 4: We see you, we feel you, and you're not alone,

1053
00:53:34,760 --> 00:53:35,480
Speaker 4: so don't give up.

1054
00:53:35,520 --> 00:53:38,040
Speaker 1: No better way to end the show than on za.

1055
00:53:38,239 --> 00:53:41,560
Speaker 1: So thanks everybody for listening to levels to this. We

1056
00:53:41,600 --> 00:53:45,160
Speaker 1: will be back next week with more next level conversations

1057
00:53:45,200 --> 00:53:47,520
Speaker 1: about just the real shit that we go through as women.

1058
00:53:47,800 --> 00:53:51,480
Speaker 1: But remember this isn't just our show, it is our show,

1059
00:53:51,840 --> 00:53:53,480
Speaker 1: so we want to hear from you. Leave us a

1060
00:53:53,520 --> 00:53:56,000
Speaker 1: review in Apple Podcasts, tell us what you've thought of

1061
00:53:56,040 --> 00:53:58,399
Speaker 1: this week's show. Maybe let us know what you want

1062
00:53:58,440 --> 00:54:01,080
Speaker 1: to talk about next. You can follow us on Instagram

1063
00:54:01,120 --> 00:54:04,520
Speaker 1: at ltt pod, but until then, keep your mentals ground

1064
00:54:04,600 --> 00:54:06,040
Speaker 1: level and we'll be back next week