The information in this post comes from the For The Breast of Us website at https://breastofus.com/.
The organization For the Breast Of Us is one of my favorite organizations in the breast cancer space, because it seeks to do what I tried to do when I was diagnosed; tell the story and provides resources for women of color.
African American Women are on average, 40% more likely to die of the disease than white women with breast cancer.
Our Mission
A cancer diagnosis changes everything. As a woman of color, where do you go or who do you turn to when you’re in the midst of the fight of your life? You search online for stories and images of women who’ve gone through treatment and look like you, but you find little to nothing. Maybe you scroll down your timeline on social media, hoping to see a glimmer of hope in the face of other fighters and survivors, but you still yearn for something more. That’s where “For the Breast of Us” comes in. Our mission at For the Breast of Us is to uplift women of color affected by breast cancer by sharing stories that educate, inspire and connect.
Meet Our Founders
What happens when two women, both with a similar goal in mind, join forces in hopes of bridging a gap? For the Breast of Us, a community for women of color affected by breast cancer is born.
Jasmine Souers and Marissa Thomas became friends online through Instagram, but met in-person at the Young Survivors Coalition (YSC) ’19 Summit. After exchanging stories, they realized how much more they have in common, besides breast cancer. The most important thing being, to uplift women of color and give them the tools to make this cancer journey a little less bumpy. Something they wish they had for themselves and their families when they were diagnosed.
Jasmine and Marissa, both used social media, during and after their treatment and realized how much of a tool and powerful it is. But it was lacking one thing: images of women that looked like them. Something to reference when you hear the words: “You have breast cancer” or “A mastectomy is needed, and this is what it will look like.” They heard from many women if there was one area that could be changed, it would be that.
Because of this, they decided, “We couldn’t get a seat at the table. So, we’re building our own!”
Welcome to For the Breast of Us — a community for you, about you and by you.
