Episodios

  • Saying Goodbye: Dorothy’s Farewell After 40 Years at The Rose

    Saying Goodbye: Dorothy’s Farewell After 40 Years at The Rose
    Mar 31 2026
    Forty years at The Rose taught our co-founder and CEO Dorothy Gibbons this: you don’t walk away from women, even when the system does. In this farewell episode, Dorothy share the stories that shaped her, why she's stepping back, and why your support and your stories still matter. Support The Rose HERE. Subscribe to Let’s Talk About Your Breasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, and wherever you get your podcasts. Key Questions Answered 1. How were Dorothy and Dr. Dixie received as two women creating a new breast health nonprofit in the mid‑1980s? 2. What kind of resistance did Dorothy encounter from male‑dominated leadership when she pushed for mammograms and a place for uninsured women? 3. Who were early patients and volunteers like Annabelle and Diana, and how did they shape The Rose’s culture? 4. Why does Dorothy believe patient stories—and hearing “someone else has been there”—still matter just as much as technology? 5. What does it mean for The Rose to be a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence, and why was that accreditation such a milestone? 6. Which values at The Rose are non‑negotiable for Dorothy, especially around how women and working mothers are treated? 7. What has truly improved in breast cancer imaging, awareness, and treatment in 40 years—and what has barely changed for uninsured and low‑income women? 8. How did gifts ranging from one dollar at a gas station to a surprise million‑dollar donation keep The Rose going? 9. After four decades, how does Dorothy keep her passion for women’s health, and what unfinished business does she believe belongs to the next generation? 10. What advice does she give anyone starting a nonprofit today—and why does she insist real change requires policy change, not just good programs? Timestamped Overview 1:00 Dorothy reflects on starting The Rose and how little the world understood mammograms and uninsured women in the mid‑1980s. 02:00 Stories of early skepticism, male‑dominated rooms, and how Dr. Dixie’s trailblazing surgical career gave them cover to push forward. 05:30 Remembering first patients and volunteers like Annabelle and Diana, their opposite personalities, and how they taught Dorothy there’s no one “right” way to live with cancer. 08:30 Why sharing patient stories on the podcast still matters: faith, courage, and the power of hearing your own experience in someone else’s words. 10:20 What becoming a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence required from staff, physicians, and equipment—and why that recognition mattered. 12:40 Dorothy’s non‑negotiables: valuing women, backing employees as whole people, and the day a tone‑deaf salesman lost a contract with one sexist comment. 15:40 What has improved in imaging, awareness, and treatment over 40 years—and what remains broken for uninsured and low‑income women. 18:00 The emotional toll of fundraising shortfalls, policy stagnation, and why closing the doors never felt like an option. 19:30 How advocacy and policy wins like Texas’s Cancer Prevention and Research Institute funding changed the landscape for prevention and research. 21:30 The unforgettable million‑dollar donor in overalls and the equally powerful one‑dollar gift at a gas station in El Paso. 24:00 Sponsored patients who gave back, like the woman who saved for years to fund another biopsy, and how those gifts shaped Dorothy’s view of generosity. 25:30 Keeping passion after four decades, why 40 years went by in a blink, and the stories that still fuel Dorothy’s work. 26:30 Letting The Rose “grow up,” what kind of energy Dorothy hopes to leave behind, and why she believes in the quiet power of “you can do it.” 28:00 Life after pink: how Dorothy imagines her next chapter and her advice for anyone bold enough to launch a nonprofit today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    30 m
  • Meet One of The Rose’s Youngest Diagnosed Patients

    Meet One of The Rose’s Youngest Diagnosed Patients
    Mar 26 2026

    How does a simple flyer lead a high school student to a life-saving discovery?

    Monserrat Duron’s decision to perform a self-exam after attending a college fair changed the trajectory of her life. Upon finding a lump, she faced unimaginable challenges due to a lack of insurance. Yet, with the support of The Rose and the steadfast care of Dr. Bonefas, she navigated a grueling journey towards recovery and advocacy.

    More than a decade after her diagnosis at just 18 years old, Montserrat shares her experience.

    Support The Rose HERE.

    Subscribe to Let’s Talk About Your Breasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, and wherever you get your podcasts.

    Key Questions Answered

    1. How did Monserrat initially discover she had a lump in her breast?

    2. What challenges did Monserrat face in accessing healthcare after discovering the lump?

    3. What was the result of Monserrat's initial examination at The Rose?

    4. What significant surgery did Monserrat undergo due to persistent tumors?

    5. How did Monserrat's professional life evolve after her recovery?

    Timestamped Overview

    00:00 We're raising money for uninsured women's diagnostics.

    05:19 Early self-exams crucial for detecting breast changes.

    08:38 Rose advocates lowering mammogram age guideline to 35.

    10:13 Grandma's comment made her avoid seeing herself.

    15:14 Relentlessly pursued success in education and life.

    17:19 Fearful moments worrying about son's future.

    22:10 First in family to attend college.

    26:46 Got referral and directions to Harris hilt

    30:27 Apologized, recommended plan, discussed surgery, future considerations.

    31:09 Reconstruction planned with plastic surgeons, lengthy process.

    35:32 Cancerous issue, mostly in younger women.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    40 m
  • Julia Morales on Baseball, Motherhood, and Breast Cancer in the Family

    Julia Morales on Baseball, Motherhood, and Breast Cancer in the Family
    Mar 24 2026
    Baseball built Julia’s career, but it’s the people behind the game who keep her in Houston. She traces her path from small‑town athlete to Astros broadcaster, then opens up about 2020, when pregnancy, COVID, and her mother’s breast cancer collided, pushing her to start mammograms early and speak candidly about family history and early detection. Please consider sharing this episode, or making a donation at therose.org so more women receive breast cancer screening and care. Subscribe to Let’s Talk About Your Breasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, and wherever you get your podcasts. Key questions answered 1. How did a sports‑obsessed kid from Crandall, Texas, work her way from tiny markets and tomahawk tournaments to the Houston Astros broadcast team? 2. What did Julia learn in minor league ballparks with the Round Rock Express that made her the right hire for a full‑time traveling baseball role? 3. How did legendary play‑by‑play announcer Bill Brown help introduce her to Astros fans and give her space to be herself on air during losing seasons? 4. Why did Julia decide to drop the “buttoned‑up” reporter persona and let fans see the same person on TV that they’d meet in H‑E‑B? 5. What toll did early years of bad baseball, five‑hour games, and constant travel take on her, and how did those years actually make her a better reporter? 6. How did the arrival of stars like Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, George Springer, and Lance McCullers change her job and the way the broadcast told stories? 7. In what ways does Julia see herself as a trailblazer for women in sports media, and how did little girls in the stands with “I’m here to see Julia” signs change her perspective? 8. How did she balance becoming a visible role model with raising her own young daughter, knowing her child is watching how she treats people on and off camera? 9. What exactly happened in 2020 when Julia was navigating pregnancy, a shutdown baseball season, and the discovery that her mother was already deep into breast cancer treatment? 10. How has her mother’s diagnosis and double mastectomy shaped her own screening habits, her views on early detection, and her message to fans about mammograms? Timestamped overview 00:30 Julia explains what she actually is on air: sideline reporter, field reporter, broadcaster, and sometimes “Ms. Astro” 01:37 First jobs after college as a small‑market sports reporter, covering everything from football to tomahawk throwing in Sherman, Texas 04:01 Learning the business side of baseball: players being optioned, designated for assignment, and the stories that never make the big‑league broadcast 06:50 Adjusting from local news schedules to life on the road with a Major League team and learning live, in‑game broadcasting 09:39 Julia’s decision to stop playing the “hard‑news” sideline role and instead be fully herself for 162 games a season 11:20 The grind of 2013: bad team, long games, coast‑to‑coast travel, wardrobe stress, and quietly hitting a wall by May 22:01 Staying in the role long‑term when many women cycled out after a couple of years; growing up on camera and putting down roots in Houston 24:19 How deep ties to players, alumni, and Astros legends made Julia a lifelong fan of people like Jose Altuve and Nolan Ryan 25:58 The moment she realized she was inspiring girls: signs in the stands, little fans calling her name, and seeing herself in them the way she once heard Pam Oliver 29:02 Dorothy shifts the conversation to breast cancer and asks about Julia’s mom’s diagnosis coinciding with her pregnancy in 2020 31:32 Returning home, camping out on her mom’s couch during early COVID, and missing the signs that something was wrong 32:31 Mom’s later visit to Houston in a baseball cap, the quiet reveal that she’d already started breast cancer treatment, and Julia’s guilt at not knowing 33:28 Processing that her mother had been doing chemo and appointments alone while Julia was focused on pregnancy and job uncertainty 34:00 The double mastectomy scheduled three days before Julia’s delivery, scrambling to give her mother time to recover and still meet her grandbaby 35:03 Her mom’s lump, finding it on a mammogram, getting treated despite the pandemic, and being “all good” now 35:32 Why Julia started mammograms three years early, at 37, and how her mother’s estrogen‑sensitive cancer changed the way she thinks about her own stress and hormones 38:06 Fears and conversations about risk for her daughter Valerie, hereditary questions, and how often she thinks about their shared futureSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    52 m
  • Boardrooms, Biopsies & Breakthroughs: The Unstoppable Samina Farid

    Boardrooms, Biopsies & Breakthroughs: The Unstoppable Samina Farid
    Mar 19 2026

    Samina Farid built her career in oil and gas, founded her own company, and forged ahead in spaces where women are rarely seen. Through it all, she faced cancer twice and found strength that reshaped both her health and her work.

    - Breaking barriers as the only woman in the room

    - Building success in a male-dominated industry

    - Facing cancer two times and turning challenges into purpose

    Support The Rose HERE.

    Subscribe to Let’s Talk About Your Breasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, and wherever you get your podcasts.

    Key Questions Answered

    1. How did Samina Farid cope with the challenges of being the only woman in a male-dominated field?

    2. How did Samina come to start her own company, and what inspired its mission?

    3. What was unique about Merrick Systems, and how did it contribute to the industry?

    4. Why did Samina decide to sell her company, and what was that process like?

    5.What steps did Samina take after her cancer diagnosis?

    6. What did Samina learn about her genetic risk for cancer?

    7. How did journaling and self-care practices help Samina during her cancer journey?

    8. What message does Samina want to share with other women about health and self-care?

    Timestamped Overview

    00:00 Discovery of Remarkable Women

    04:12 Pre-Internet Oil Data Challenges

    08:20 Grateful for Mentorship Journey

    11:27 "Turbulent Life Changes"

    15:44 Cancer Journey and Support

    21:23 "Facing Cancer's Uncertainty"

    24:12 Genetic Mutation: Cancer Risk Alert

    25:44 Pancreatic Tumor and Whipple Surgery

    28:49 Prioritize Health: Just Do It

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    32 m
  • The St. Jude of Breast Cancer: Dr. Dixie’s Dream for Women with Nowhere to Go

    The St. Jude of Breast Cancer: Dr. Dixie’s Dream for Women with Nowhere to Go
    Mar 17 2026
    Dr. Melillo and Dorothy Gibbons started The Rose because they were tired of telling women, “You have cancer, and there’s nowhere for you to go.” Forty years later, they're still in that same fight. In this conversation, Dr. Melillo walks us from those early days of oil‑bust Houston and charity‑hospital waiting lists to today’s harsh reality: we can diagnose, but for too many uninsured and underinsured women, we can’t get them into treatment. She shares her newest dream: a St. Jude‑style breast health hospital where women receive world‑class care, prevention, and real compassion without ever seeing a bill. In this episode, we talk about: - How The Rose began in the mid‑1980s with young mothers showing up with massive, advanced breast cancers and no insurance—and why diagnosis alone was never enough. - The current crisis: Medicaid rules, closed charity programs, and women forced to move counties, divorce, or give up work just to qualify for treatment. - Dr. Dixie’s vision for a no‑bill breast hospital that puts women first, teaches prevention and nutrition, supports child care, and treats every patient like a whole person, not a billing code. If this episode made you think of someone you love, share it with your family and friends—and if you’re able, consider making a donation at therose.org so another woman can get the mammogram and follow‑up care she needs, not just a diagnosis. Please consider sharing this episode, or making a donation at therose.org so more women receive breast cancer screening and care. Subscribe to Let’s Talk About Your Breasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, and wherever you get your podcasts. Key questions answered What heartbreaking cases in the early 1980s pushed Dixie and Dorothy to create The Rose in the first place?Why wasn’t sending uninsured women to “charity” hospitals a real solution, even when diagnosis was available?How has today’s landscape of Medicaid rules, insurance criteria, and overburdened systems brought them back to a 1983‑style crisis?What does it feel like for a physician to diagnose cancer and have no clear path to treatment for a woman who could be cured?How do poverty guidelines, citizenship requirements, work‑history rules, and even marital status block women from life‑saving care?Why are more women being diagnosed younger—and what happens when they must choose between a paycheck, child care, and treatment?What exactly is Dr. Dixie’s dream breast health hospital, and how would it function differently from traditional systems?How would this hospital center prevention, nutrition, and metabolic health alongside surgery, chemo, and radiation?Why do Dixie and Dorothy believe access to treatment should not depend on money, insurance, or ZIP code—and why do they say this dream is urgent, not optional?What kind of help—visionaries, donors, partners—are they hoping will step forward after hearing this conversation? Timestamped overview 03:30 Setting up the conversation; Dorothy reflects on cold opens and frames the core question: what if you were told you had cancer and had nowhere to go? Introduction of Dr. Dixie Melillo and the early 1980s context. 07:30 Dixie’s start as one of the only women surgeons, being funneled all the breast lumps, the lack of mammography access, and the string of uninsured women with advanced cancers—including the 32‑year‑old mother whose case broke them both. Formation of The Rose, creating a nonprofit, and realizing they had to build their own center instead of just raising money for others. 10:30 Early fundraising, fashion shows, awareness campaigns, and years when partnerships and charity programs allowed The Rose to diagnose and connect women to treatment reasonably well. 14:30 Fast‑forward to today: hospitals dropping certain Medicaid plans, strict income and citizenship rules, women being over the line by a hundred dollars, and some moving counties or divorcing just to qualify. Dixie compares the current situation to being back in 1983: able to diagnose, unable to offer treatment. 18:30 The emotional and moral toll: telling curable women there’s no path forward, the sin of watching a tumor grow because of paperwork and policy, and concrete examples of women blocked by work‑history or documentation rules. The heavy burden on patient navigators trying to work around 40‑page applications and shrinking charity options. 23:30 Dr. Dixie’s dream: a dedicated breast health hospital modeled on St. Jude—no bills for those who can’t pay, robust prevention and nutrition education, and care that treats women as whole people. Discussion of sugar, metabolic health, and how current standard practices often ignore prevention. 28:00 Vision for the campus: a sizable site, on‑site child care for staff and potentially patients, a welcoming intake process where patients are met by a person—not a distant front desk—and care teams who know their stories, griefs, ...
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    37 m
  • Lessons from the 2025 Everything's Coming Up Roses Luncheon: Stories That Inspire Hope and Change

    Lessons from the 2025 Everything's Coming Up Roses Luncheon: Stories That Inspire Hope and Change
    Mar 12 2026

    Support comes to life at the "Everything’s Coming Up Roses Luncheon," where advocates, survivors, board members, and friends stand shoulder to shoulder for women’s health in the community.

    In this episode:

    - Hear from an emcee who connects with women over shared experiences

    - Meet board members who bring The Rose’s mission to new supporters

    - Listen to how others are making community care a priority

    Support The Rose HERE.

    Subscribe to Let’s Talk About Your Breasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, and wherever you get your podcasts.

    Key Questions Answered

    1. Why is supporting The Rose important?

    2. How do insured patients help support The Rose’s mission?

    3. What personal experiences deepen board members’ involvement with The Rose?

    4. How do board members help promote and connect people to The Rose?

    5. How does The Rose impact the local Houston community?

    6. What role do banks and businesses play in supporting The Rose?

    7. How can people support or get involved with The Rose?

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    6 m
  • Sin miedo a llamar: lo que debe saber antes de su mamografía

    Sin miedo a llamar: lo que debe saber antes de su mamografía
    Mar 11 2026

    ¿Qué es exactamente una mamografía? ¿Duele? ¿Qué pasa cuando llegas? Kathia nos explica el proceso, rompe mitos y comparte por qué muchas mujeres latinas dudan en llamar. Si alguna vez lo ha pospuesto por miedo o falta de información, este episodio es para usted.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    4 m
  • God Winks, Ringing Bells, and The Rose: Nancy and Shelley’s Shared Journey as Mother-Daughter Honorees at the Everything's Coming Up Roses Luncheon

    God Winks, Ringing Bells, and The Rose: Nancy and Shelley’s Shared Journey as Mother-Daughter Honorees at the Everything's Coming Up Roses Luncheon
    Mar 10 2026
    Nancy and Shelley didn’t plan to share a breast cancer story, much less two very different diagnoses, eight years apart. One faced Stage 0 DCIS at 41 after pushing for a 3D mammogram; the other walked into an annual screening, felt no lump, and still heard “Stage 2 HER2‑Positive.” In this conversation, we talk about what happens when two pragmatic, organized women lean on faith, friendship, and their networks to move fast on treatment—then turn around and use their experience to champion The Rose and the women who rely on us for access to mammograms, diagnostics, and compassionate care. Please consider sharing this episode, or making a donation at therose.org so more women receive breast cancer screening and care. Subscribe to Let’s Talk About Your Breasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, and wherever you get your podcasts. Key questions answered How did Nancy and Shelley each grow up with service and volunteering, and how did that shape their careers and philanthropy?What kind of work do they do in the plastics industry, and how did Shelley end up co‑inventing a “tiltless” liner used around the world?How did Shelley’s first 3D mammogram at 41 lead to a stage zero DCIS diagnosis, and why did she struggle to call it “cancer”?What made Nancy’s diagnosis different—stage two HER2‑positive with no lump—and how did prior research for Shelly help her move quickly?How did Nancy’s long history of volunteering and relationships at Baylor help both mother and daughter fast‑track appointments and treatment?What do they mean by “God winks,” and how did shared surgeons, the same radiologist, and overlapping timelines reinforce their faith?In what ways did cancer deepen—rather than define—their mother–daughter relationship and cement that “best friends” dynamic?How do they each use their stories now to push friends, colleagues, and even their kids to prioritize mammograms and routine screenings?Why is The Rose the organization they chose to champion, and how do insured patients’ mammograms help cover care for uninsured and underinsured women?What do they want listeners to understand about the emotional side of bell‑ringing, being present for each other, and never being “too busy” to schedule preventive care? Timestamped overview 03:20 Welcoming Nancy and Shelley as Everything’s Coming Up Roses honorees; their shared background as successful women in male‑dominated plastics and lifelong volunteers. 07:20 Nancy’s early volunteer roots, decades with arts and civic groups, current work with the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce, and Shelley’s career in plastics—including her patented tiltless liner and global travel as a family. 10:00 The “backwards” breast cancer story: Shelley’s stage zero DCIS diagnosis at 41 after pushing for a 3D mammogram, her embarrassment about calling it cancer, and the lack of family history aside from an elderly grandmother. 14:30 Nancy’s 2023 diagnosis: annual mammogram, no lump, stage two HER2‑positive, choosing a world‑class oncologist, and how watching Shelley’s calm, research‑driven approach prepared her. 18:30 How Nancy’s Baylor relationships and volunteer network helped both women move quickly through diagnosis and into treatment; the shared focus on reducing the stress of “waiting” and the role of faith in that season. 22:30 “God winks”: both having the same surgeon, Shelley’s husband later sharing her radiologist, and the reminder that—even for highly organized women—God is still in control. 26:30 How their faith kept them from seeing cancer as punishment, why they refused to play the victim, and how the experience tightened their bond without defining their identities. 31:10 Bell‑ringing surprises: Nancy showing up for Shelley’s bell, Shelley returning the favor and scaring her mom in the parking lot, and how those moments became treasured markers in their journey. 32:44 Using their platform: encouraging others to schedule mammograms, explaining how insured patients at The Rose help fund care for uninsured women, and embracing their “backwards” mother–daughter honoree role to amplify The Rose’s mission and make sure no woman walks around not knowing help is available.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    34 m