It's Not Enough to Say We Survived (with Darcie Green)

02/23/21 • 122 min

Our guest on today’s episode is Darcie Green, who brings multiple identities to our conversation today. She’s the daughter of a survivor, care giver, advocate, activist and the Executive Director of Latinas Contra Cancer. Latinas Contra Cancer is an organization with a mission to create an inclusive health care system that provides services to the underserved Latino population around issues of breast and other cancers. She’s incredibly smart, so funny, and we had A LOT to talk about. This is the last episode of Season 2 of Black Cancer, and it exemplifies everything we’ve talked about on this platform AND more - more like understanding cancer through a social justice lens, examining the disproportionate philanthropic funding for organizations led by people of color and what our communities STILL do despite structural under-resourcing that determines our health.

P.S. This episode aired the day the United States surpassed 500,000 COVID-19 deaths - half a million people. Disproportionately Black and Brown people. The racial inequities of the life-saving vaccine roll out was absolutely top of our minds - which is why this conversation started A BIT before I even had my microphone set up for our recording! hahaha. You won’t want to miss a single moment of this episode. It’s truly a master class in understanding so many dynamics of cancer care - and what we can learn about the interconnectedness of what care can look like for all our people. And as always, check out the show notes for links to what we talked about.

Here’s my conversation with Darcie:

Darcie shares about how her father's journey grounded her work in community health advocacy (47:51)
The strengths and expertise in self and communal advocacy already held in our communities (1:12:00)
Disproportionality in funding and support for organizations led by and that serve communities of color (1:36:53)

Previous Episode

Holding Space for Yourself (with Marissa Thomas)

Our guest on today’s episode is Marissa Thomas, breast cancer survivor (stage 2 estrogen positive) and founder of For the Breast of Us, a breast cancer community for women of color.

You know, after I received my diagnosis, it took a few weeks before I texted my doctor, “wait, do I have cancer?” It was after that I started to search for online cancer forums - of any kind, to help make sense of my experience. And, let me tell you, ah - it provided so much relief. Well, up until a point. Being a woman of color is always the lens through which I experience the world and I just couldn’t find anything - anything at all, that could meet me there. I’m so glad For the Breast of Us exists now, because I for sure could have used it back then. A space, similar to this podcast, to be in community with other folks of color grappling with the intricacies of grief, support, and needing to be seen in a system that wasn’t designed to see us. Where else but on our platforms can you engage in a conversation about how lotion saves lives? You’ll have to wait for the last third of the show to get that!

P.S. There’s a story at the end where I basically admit that I”m a terrible human being. Don’t come for me. We all have our journey towards growth and enlightenment.

Highlights from our conversation:

Figuring out whether to disclose racial microaggressions with your providers (10:25)
Marissa shares about meeting Cristina, another young mother battling cancer (40:59)
Navigating her cancer journey with a teenaged son (1:04:53)

More from this episode:

For the Breast of Us: https://breastofus.com/
For the Beast of Us - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forthebreastofus/
Baddies Talk Back: The Burden of Being Strong - https://www.facebook.com/forthebreastofus/videos/baddies-talk-back-the-burden-of-being-strong/327166672043188/
Vanessa Bryant’s Instagram Post on Grief: https://www.instagram.com/p/B77K8XWDY7O/

Follow Black Cancer at blackcancer.co and on Instagram at @_black_cancer. Learn more about creator and host Jodi-Ann Burey at jodiannburey.com.

Transcripts will be available on the website a week after the episode airs.

Next Episode

We Did It Together as a Family (with Kim Young)

Our guest on today’s episode is Kimberly Young, who led the team of her siblings and family members to support her mother’s journey with multiple myeloma. We talk about her mother’s diagnosis journey and faith works in tandem with the process. What most moved me about Kim’s story is the love and closeness of her family, which only amplified as they navigated a time of crisis.

Kim works for one of the biggest health insurance companies in the United States, so she shares her perspective on navigating the health insurance process and finding organizations offering financial resources and social support that insurance can’t fully cover. To honor her mother’s legacy, Kim continues to work as a cancer advocate in faith-based organizations.

This will be the first of two episodes this season focused on multiple myeloma. Thank you to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for your sponsorship and support of this special series.

More about LLS + Multiple Myeloma:

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society website: https://www.lls.org/
Myeloma Link: https://www.lls.org/myeloma-link

Black Americans have twice the incidence of myeloma as white Americans. What’s more, recent studies show that Black Americans are significantly less likely to receive the latest treatments, and are more likely to experience treatment delays. As a champion for myeloma patients, caregivers, survivors, and families, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is determined to change this. We believe every patient deserves to receive the best care and support possible while we work tirelessly toward cures.

LLS is dedicated to helping Black Americans with myeloma access the treatment and care they need to survive and thrive and improving quality of life. We provide trusted, free tools and resources to help patients and caregivers navigate the treatment landscape more effectively and cope with the disease.

Listen to more stories on caregiving on the Black Cancer podcast: