slash voices the voices of
celebrate Hispanic >> every first weekend of
>> every first weekend of
October for as long as many of
us can remember thousands of
runners and walkers have around
Parkway
to downtown for the Susan G Komen race for the cure.
Komen race for the cure.
This race has traditionally,
but the largest fundraiser for
calm in Houston last year.
Covid forced the race to go
virtual. But this year race is
back with
several changes. Ashley dedmon knows all about the Komen race.
knows all about the Komen race.
A source of strength and
support when she needed it.
She’s now the community
programs manager for the
Houston area. Good morning.
Thank you for being here.
Good morning. Kim Brown, thank you for having me. Good to see
you for having me. Good to see
you. Before we talk about the
race itself, your personal
story. You can help provide
some important information from
for viewers who may be trying
to make tough decisions. Talk about your family cancer
Talk about your family cancer
history had a number of
generations and your family.
That had breast cancer and that
made you to be proactive talk
about that. >> Breast cancer impacted 3
>> Breast cancer impacted 3
generations of women in my
family. My great grandmother,
my grandmother and my mother
who had metastatic breast cancer and so my family
breast cancer and so my family
with breast cancer. I also had
a father who is a prostate
cancer survivor that swung into action, taking better care of
action, taking better care of
my own health and knowing
my risk and it was actually
after we lost my mother to
breast cancer. That we experienced our first comin,
experienced our first comin,
a race for the cure. And it was
at that time that race for the
cure really helped me to see
my family and I were not alone. That there was a community, a
That there was a community, a
larger community around us that
had also been impacted. By
breast cancer. Women, men, family members, caregivers.
family members, caregivers.
And so that’s that was a really
a space for us that walk to
really help us to come together
and know that we were not
allow. It seems to me that the whole process also lead you to
whole process also lead you to
a point where you now are an
advocate for people to take
better care of themselves.
>> As a result of that whole
experience and the generations of cancer in
of cancer in
your family. But now how
important is it for others to
be as difficult. It can be some
time to really focus on their
own health. >> You know, knowing my family
>> You know, knowing my family
history breast cancer was
something that I needed to find
out because that really helped
me to find out my own risk
through that knowledge in
through that information. I actually underwent genetic
I actually underwent genetic
counseling in
genetic testing where I found
out that I was the carrier.
I am the carrier of the BRC a 2
gene mutation, which makes me at a
at a
higher risk of breast and
ovarian cancer. And so it was
through that knowledge. I was
able to make informed health
decisions to protect my breast
health. And so it’s very important. We know our family
important. We know our family
history. It’s very important.
We have a Maxx questions.
It’s also very important that we find educational resources
we find educational resources
to help us to make those
informed health decisions.
And that’s becoming provide and
come in. Also still a main part
of their whole mission is
research. Right. The money
raised going to research which could help to figure out.
could help to figure out.
>> Best ways to deal with some
of the issues related to some
of the mutations that you’re
doing with. Yes. So our mission
is address the most critical
needs of our communities.
In to invest in
breakthrough research to
prevent and breast cancer and
that is one of our focuses for
our race. Our race supports our mission and also supports that
mission and also supports that
research. One of the missions I
know with
deals with.
>> This parity that’s going
on in various communities.
And one of them has to do with
African American women and their breast health and
their breast health and
nationally black women are 40%
more likely than
white women to die from breast
cancer. And in Harris County,
that 60% more likely. So that makes it even more acute to
makes it even more acute to
raise money for research,
especially for folks in
this community.
>> Yes. So keep and Susan G
Komen and August launch stand for her stand for her
for her stand for her
originally began in 2015 under
the name of the African
American health equity
initiative with support of the fun to Foundation with the goal
fun to Foundation with the goal
to address the disparities in
late-stage diagnosis in
mortality rate between black
and white women. By 25% in 10
targeted metropolitan areas where the disparities are the
where the disparities are the
most significant and kimbro
Houston, as you said, is one of
those areas where we are for
the women, black women in Houston are 40% more are 60%
Houston are 40% more are 60%
more likely to die from breast
cancer than
white women.
>> Which is above the national
average. That stat is there. What how, what with the process
What how, what with the process
of trying to figure
it out.
>> from the data, there are
several factors that factors of agree. Just numbers in data
agree. Just numbers in data
sets in a few factors are
biological We have aggressive
forms of
breast cancer triple negative
breast cancer is an aggressive form of breast cancer. You have
form of breast cancer. You have
social determinants of health
factors that impact
black women. Health care.
It’s very important health care providers understand that
providers understand that
factors
such as. Food insecurity,
economic instability
transportation in time and care. All of those can be
care. All of those can be
barriers for women to access
another important factor
quality. A lot of the
comprehensive cancer centers in academic cancer centers are
in academic cancer centers are
are located predominantly
in white neighborhoods where as
in the black communities, you
see a lot of the community
clinics. And finally another large factor that we saw where
large factor that we saw where
that black women to not feel
heard or feel seen or they felt
forms of racism or
discrimination or even felt discriminated against because
discriminated against because
of I’m the type of medical care
they care. They care medical
care that they covered whether
it be Medicare or Medicaid or other forms of health care.
other forms of health care.
>> Race is October. 2nd.
Yes. Saturday, October second
and its in person. And but it’s
also virtual for those who
want. So yes, the race does
look a little different this year. There’s 2 options.
year. There’s 2 options.
It is in person beginning at
Sam
Houston Park and ending at
Allen Parkway downtown. We also
have a virtual option which we have some satellite
we have some satellite
locations in person. The race
begins at 07:45AM. virtually
begins at 09:00AM in for more
information and you can go to Houston to come in dot org
Houston to come in dot org
backslash Houston race. And I’m
putting all that information
on my Web site so people can
get to that
as well.
>> If you never been a part of
this. You really need to make it a point to go where you have
it a point to go where you have
cancer in your family
or not need to be there because
of the communal support.
It’s just a family get
together. People embracing each other trying to get to the next
other trying to get to the next
stage. So I love it. And I love
the fact that all of you
working with it because I’ve
got a personal stake in this as
well. So get out there and be a
part of that. We’re going to
talk more about this and on
our news makers actually want to continue this conversation a
to continue this conversation a
little bit, hopefully be go to
the Houston
newsmakers extra online at
click 2 Houston dot com.
Okay. Thank you, Ashley, for
sticking around for more of our
conversation will continue to do that in just
do that in just
a moment. Just ahead, we’re
going to recognize Hispanic
heritage month and introduce
you to the work being done by the Institute of Hispanic