Whether we're running errands or running plays on the basketball court, we need makeup that can keep up with our lives on the go.And e.l.f.Cosmetics is rocking the big mood energy.
The Big Mood Waterproof Mascara gives you volume and lift for those big, bold lashes that last.Because it doesn't matter how great your makeup looks if it doesn't last.
That's big facts.And so with e.l.f.Cosmetics, you're not just wearing makeup, you're rocking the big mood energy and feeling fabulous all day.
Brought to you by the Capital One Venture X Card.As a founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports, Capital One wants to bring you closer to the athletes you love. Literally, with premium travel benefits from the Capital One Venture X card.
With Venture X, you earn unlimited double miles on everything you buy and turn everyday purchases into extraordinary trips.
Plus, you get premium benefits at a collection of luxury hotels when you book on Capital One Travel and access to over a thousand airport lounges worldwide.The Venture X card from Capital One.What's in your wallet?Terms apply.
Lounge access is subject to change.See CapitalOne.com for details.
What's good?Justin Jefferson here.Football is a lot of explosions, a lot of energy and attitude.With these open earbuds, to have good sound and to be so light on your ear, it's like a dream.For more, check out Bose.com.
We've got a great show lined up today with a very special guest about a subject that really affects so many women, especially Black and brown women.But first, we need to have a surface level catch up.What's up, Cheryl?What's good, boo?
I'm liking the hair.You know, OK, OK, OK, listen.You just kind of gave me a thought for a conversation we need to have, because I saw your post on Twitter the other day where
one of your followers, I think, maybe it's just someone you know, was like, somebody need to help me out with these wigs, because I don't know how the girls be doing it.And your response, though, I was like, this needs to be a topic on Level Test.
You know why?Because there are absolutely levels to wig maintenance, making sure the girls don't move, they don't go anywhere. But yeah, that question, I was like, OK, we need to do that.
But your hair is toy.Yeah.See, you are so right that we need to do that as a show, because I have alopecia.And because I have alopecia, I had to learn very early on how to take care of this hair.And you know how it is.
We gonna have to have a show about it.But I will wear a wig and we'll let everybody know that it's a wig.And do not care if you know that it's a wig because you ain't know it was a wig until I told you.That's all I'm saying.
And you know what?Even if you do know, it's mine because I bought it.
because I paid for it, period.But I'm going to be rocking a different kind of wig, though, because it's Halloween, and it's my favorite holiday.So I got to have a different kind.Are you into Halloween?Do you give out candy to the kids?
Oh.OK.OK.No.No, no, no.But let me say this.Halloween, when I was much younger and I lived in the city, you know, I live in the country, T, so we don't get kids out there.
And, but when I was younger, it was Halloween and Christmas for me were like, I went all out.I don't do Halloween anymore.And also found out I was type two diabetic, like about a year ago.So I can't be having all that sugar around.
Do tell.I need to know.I need to know.I'm a Halloween girly.It's my favorite holiday.Always has been because I used to love to play dress up as a kid and walk around in my mama's high heels.And so my feet got too big.My feet were bigger than hers.
I can't fit her shoes no more.But it was just the idea of getting to be somebody different.And, you know, I just always love Halloween.And then, of course, there's the candy.
And I grew up in an era where, like, everybody, this is before stuff got crazy, where everybody used to give out candy.And you always had that one or two people on the crib who would give you, like, you know, an apple or a banana.
Like, man, we didn't ask for this.And then you also had your one or two people who would give you whole candy bars.You knew they were favorites.You're like, I don't want no fruit.
We do not walk through on Halloween.Halloween, what is we doing?Listen, Halloween is not about being healthy.It's not.I'm not at all.
I do not want your freaking graham cracker bar on for Halloween.I won't do it.And I was so hurt when I turned my light on for the first time, like many years ago.And nobody came by to get candy.
I mean, I was hurt for the moment, but I ate the hell out the rest of that candy I bought because I bought it.But now I just bought a new house, so my house is like... That house.
I'm the house that got all the wanted signs, the little fake graves outside.I got the big old pumpkin.So you do all the decorating.You do all the decorating outside and inside?
And inside.So not every room.When I had a smaller apartment, it was much easier to do every room.But now, it's just like my dining room. and my kitchen.I don't touch the living room and all that other stuff.I'll wait for Christmas for that.
But I'm that person.I am that person.And so I dress up every year.I have three costumes.It's crazy.That's my thing.I love it.
Do you have Halloween parties?
I do.As a matter of fact, this year, my housewarming party was a Halloween theme party.And so I go all out.
And this year really made me upset though, because there's one tradition that I have every October that I was not able to do in its totality this year because of being on the road. for the WNBA finals.
But every year, for the entire month of October, if I'm not watching sports, all I watch is scary movies.And I try to see if I can outdo myself from year to year.So I usually top off about 50 to 56 scary movies in October.
This year, I've only seen, like, 20.I'm so far behind.Only 20?Only 20.I'm, like, so far behind.You're slipping.You're slipping.
Yours is what exists.I don't know.Everybody out there, I'm going to get Cheryl to do Halloween with me one time, y'all.
OK, last Halloween question, maybe.What's the candy you give out?Are you the house where everybody's like, oh no, we're going to Auntie T's house because she got the good candy?
Yes, because I not only give out candy to the kids, but I give out treats for the adults. What are the adult treats, T?The adult treats might come in a miniature-sized bottle. And it might be various flavors from vodka to rum to tequila to bourbon.
Depends on what time you come back on the door.
OK.So then really, it ain't the kids saying, let's go there.It's the parents saying, oh no, we're definitely hitting up this house.
That house right there on the corner, that's the crib.We got to make sure we stop it every year.
Okay.I'm feeling that one a little bit.
I'm feeling that one.I'm feeling that one.Come deal with me, y'all.Yeah.Yeah.So Halloween is the thing.That's what we do in October.But outside of Halloween, on a more serious note, October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
It's National Women's Small Business Month.It's National Depression Education and Awareness Month.But I think most notably, people recognize that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
So on today's show, we have a special guest, really close friend and family of yours, Cheryl, who's going to be joining us to share more of her story and just really put into perspective what it means to tackle breast cancer from various
different angles.And so, we're excited to talk to her and really take this conversation to the next level.So, joining us on today's show is, uh, I don't want to say a friend of yours, Cheryl, because this is family, right?Yeah.All of that.
Like, this is family.Friends, family, sister, all of that, right?So, we're excited to welcome in Cynthia Smith. Hi, Cynthia.
Hi, thank you guys for having me.I really appreciate it.Hi, Cynthia.Hi, Cheryl.
I'm very happy to have you on the show.We're very happy to have you on the show.I wish y'all could see their faces right now.Cheryl is just super smiling.I got a big Kool-Aid smile.
So before we get like super deep into the conversation, I wanted to share a few nuggets with our listeners because I really want them to understand the context of how important this conversation is.
So nugget number one is that Black women are 42% more likely to die of breast cancer than any other race.And black women under the age of 35 get breast cancer at two times the rate of white women and die at three times the rate of white women.
So essentially, when you think about this disease, it has stolen our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, our loved ones, our friends.And based on these numbers, it is just continuing to take Black women at an alarming rate.
So having you here, Cynthia, to kind of give perspective and additional context to what it really means to fight through this is not only so important to us, but really just so important to all women to really understand what this does.
Yeah, I totally agree.And those stats are so alarming.This is something that you need to take seriously.For myself, I found my cancer. And it wasn't because I was doing routine, regular checkups at home.
It was because I was at one point in my life, I was losing weight and I was working out, but not at the rate that I was losing weight.And so first of all, I have to give glory to God because I am a 12 year survivor.So what a blessing.
I was diagnosed when I was 30 years old. right before my 31st birthday.And so one night I was at home.This is when I lived in a small rural town in West Texas.I was just doing all the things.
I was one of those people who, if I wasn't working two or three jobs, I wasn't content with life.So I drove the bus.I was a teacher.I coached cheerleading.So I did most of the things.So one night, I was at home and I was
checked just in the mirror thinking, oh girl, you know, I had some double D's, you know, at the time.I was like, I'm getting vibes at the end.And then I would begin to, you know, you know me, Cheryl, I'm just gonna say it like that.
And I begin to just kind of touch my body in a way, not like a weird way, but just a way to like, oh, look at those breasts.They sitting up there real nice, you know, that I felt. on my right side.
And I felt it, you know, I was like, oh, that doesn't feel right.So I called my sister.She's one of those people who, I call her an O iron tail because she's just rough and tough and to the point.
We had just lost our mom three years prior to me being diagnosed with cancer.And my mom just out of the blue found the hematoma on her lung.The doctors went back and forth of this cancer, it's not cancer.
Anyways, she ended up finding it in 2008, I guess, and lived about one year. And then she passed on.So when I told my sister that I felt something weird, she said, you need to go get it checked out just to be on the safe side.
And so I'm like, I don't have time.You know, as a school teacher, you have so many days in the work year to be taking off from work.So I called my OB-GYN and this was in January when I began to feel this.
And so I called my OB-GYN and she was like, well, I can't get you in until March. And I was like, perfect, that's spring break.I don't have to take off work.It's all good.Let's do it.But I was going to take you guys back just a little bit.
December 31st, you know, New Year's Eve of 2011, praying to God and saying, God, you know, I'm not going to make your standard or your traditional New Year's resolution.I am going to just pray that I'm in church every Sunday.
So I remember praying that. We go in, in March, and I'm feeling one thing, and I'm telling my OB-GYN, this is what I'm feeling.She begins to feel something else.And I'm like, okay.She says, I think it's just like a cyst or something.
And I said, well, all right, you're the doctor, so. She said, but I need to get you into an ultrasound first.But we couldn't do it that day, of course, we had to do it a week later, we had to schedule it.
So the following week, I went in for an ultrasound.And then after that, she said, well, I want to do a mammogram.And so I think at that moment, I realized something was probably worse than what I was imagining, because I was 30.
And anything that you had read at that time was you don't get a mammogram until you're in your 40s, mid 40s, early 50s, right?So I was like, okay, this can't be good, but I'm trusting God because I don't know, right?I'm not a doctor.
Mind you, I've been in church January 1st going on, right?Every Sunday, and the doors of church are open on Sundays, I would been there.So then the week later, we went in for the mammogram and she says, we want to do a biopsy.
And baby, when I tell you something, okay, that mammogram was already, feeling that you don't want to go through.Right.But that biopsy, they had to do a biopsy on my nipple.Right.And it was the most excruciating pain.
And I say that not to scare anyone, but I want to be a realist about this because this is something that is so serious and you do not take it, you know, for what it is.I don't want to sugarcoat this.I want to be honest.
So yes, it was the worst pain I had ever felt in my life.
The biopsy was, not the mammogram.Well, the mammogram hurt, but the biopsy, yes.
The biopsy was just, oh my God.And so I'm laying face down on this table and underneath is this needle type machine and I can see a petri dish and it was just full of tissue from my breast.
So of course I have to wait seven days for those results, right? And that's one of the worst parts, waiting.
The waiting seems like it would be worse than the actual biopsy itself because now you're putting yourself through all this anxiety of what the results are going to be.Yes.
Can you imagine?I mean, you never had to wait on anything. And let me tell you, my test of patience, it got there, right?
But like, can I ask you, like, what did you do in that timeframe?Like, how were you able to kind of focus on everything else that you were doing and not spend so much time being anxious of what those results were going to be?
You don't, you try to fill your time with something, but in the back of your mind, you're like, okay, I'm going to get some kind of news.I'm praying for the best, right?Right.
realism of life, you have to hope for the best, expect the worst, so you can have a game plan.And it's important for me to always have a game plan.
So I was gonna reverse this story for just a couple of seconds, because it's all gonna make sense later.When my mom passed away in 2009, I was a school teacher in Florida, and one day we had a PD, professional development.
An insurance guy came in selling insurance to us, cancer policies and things like that. And I was torn, like, should I get this?Maybe I shouldn't get this.Maybe I should get this.
My mom just passed away of some type of cancer that they think of cancer, but they don't know it's cancer.I decided, okay, I'm gonna get it.And I was like, all right, that's $39.10, right?It's funny what you remember.
Girl, because when them things hit your check, you know you be like, do I really need this?
Okay, this is the point though.$39.10 back and forth, every month. So this was like. writing checks, because at that time I didn't think you can do a direct debit, so writing checks and having to go get a stamp and mail it.
I'm like, oh, this is too much, right?So after six weeks or so, I let it last.I was like, I gotta do this.$39.10, that's a good hairdo, probably.And at that time, probably could get some gas, fill up the app, right?Yeah, back then, yes.
Back then, right?12 years ago, that was a lot back then.$39.10 in 30 months, for three years.But after a while, you don't think of it, because it's going out, it's gone.
So fast forward back to April 7th, I've driven the bus to another little rural town where we have a UIL competition.This is the competition to see if my kids advance to state.We're ready.We've been working all year for this.
We're going back to state.We got this.So I'm in there timing the competition.My kids are writing.My phone just starts blowing up like crazy. And I'm like, I can't answer this, because I'm talking to these kids.And it's nonstop, nonstop.
Then my sister Anna, she calls me too.And I'm like, OK, thumbs up.I don't know.So I asked someone else, the lady that was in the room with me, I said, can you just take over this time?I've got to take this call.It's important.
At that moment, I wasn't really thinking about this is the day they're going to call me, because they didn't say what day.They said in the week.So I get out there, and I call my sister first.I'm like, hey, what's up?What's got you blowing me up?
What's going on?She said, you know I'm going to do a competition. You need to call the doctor.They won't give me any information because I'm not you, but I am your emergency contact."And I said, oh, okay.
At that point, did you think, this is the news I've been waiting for?
Yes.This is the news, right?She said the doctor called her that needed to talk to me.And I was like, well, They didn't tell her no, so it must be something else.So I called the doctor, and they don't say, can you come in?We have news.
They just tell you right there on the phone.They tell you right there on the phone.Yeah.I'm sorry, Ms.Smith, to inform you you're in your earliest stages of breast cancer.Just like that, over the phone?Just like that, over the phone.
I'm sorry to inform you that you're in your earliest stages of breast cancer. right in the middle of this competition.So I'm outside, my kids are working in there, trying to get us a steak.
And all I can do is fall to my knees because I'm just like, what?
Yes.Right.Because I had an aunt who passed away from breast cancer.Right.I had a cousin who was battling breast cancer.So
I go outside and I'm bawling at this point and my sister is calling me and I'm like, oh, I can't answer why I'm crying because this sister is so tough.She's a little mush bag now, but back then she was so tough.She was like, what are you crying for?
Stop it, just cry, you know?So I'm talking to one of my teacher friends and she said, don't worry, I'm gonna talk to the principal and you're gonna be fine.So I'm like, okay.
So I clean my face up, I call my sister and I'm in Florida, which is about 45 miles from my hometown. But she was working another 30 miles from our hometown.So she was about an hour and 30 minutes from me.I called her.She said, well, what'd they say?
I said, well, she said I had breast cancer.She got quiet.She said, where are you?I said, I'm in Abernethy.She said, I'm on my way.So she came and she picked me up, you know.
Talk about God putting the right people in the right place at the right time.There is no way I could have survived that whole ordeal without her.
When you got the call, right, from the doctor and they said you have breast cancer, like, what did you think?Did you think the worst or was it, okay, I know what it is now, now let's tackle it, let's figure out how we get through it?
No, at that moment, Cheryl, I thought my life was over.I thought I was dying.I had cancer.Come on, it's cancer, right?That's all you're thinking, right?
Because we know, if you don't do your research, when you hear the word cancer, you think death sentence automatically.
It wasn't until later that evening when I talked to one of my close friends, my beautician at the time, and also my friend.I called her and I was telling her what was going on, you know, and she said, Cynthia, all sickness is not unto death.
That's from the Bible, right?She was telling me this.I'll say, this is not that.So all these things are playing back into me.
Like, you know, God is really looking out because he's putting these people, telling me the things I need to know and keep encouraging me and all the things back to that teacher friend of mine that was with me.
She said, Cynthia, you were one of the strongest women I know.Well, she said to me and I'm like, I'm pretty resilient.I think I would like to think that on myself.I'm pretty strong.
I do a lot of things by myself, take care of this, that, or the other.She said, so I need you to kick, scream, cry, cuss all the things you need to do today.Get it out your system.Tomorrow's a new day.We tackle from there.
Yeah.And I'm glad that you said during your research, because my question is, how familiar were you with this before?Because in my mind, I tend to think that if you're someone who knows, and I think now being 2024, very different than 2009, right?
In 2024, I think people may know, okay, breast cancer,
doesn't necessarily mean a death sentence, early detection is important, like, let's just do it, let's figure out how to do it, versus being completely unfamiliar and you hear it and you're like, holy shit, this is crazy.
So how much did you know about breast cancer before having to go through what it was going to take to win?
Medically, absolutely nothing.Only that my aunt died in the 90s, And her daughter had it, but none of my sisters have had breast cancer.And I'm the baby of five girls and my mom didn't have breast cancer.So nothing. Absolutely nothing.
I mean, T, great question.And Cynthia, for you to say nothing, right?So I got my first mammogram back in April, May of this year.So the mammogram comes back and the doctor says, oh, I need to get some more images.
So I then went and got some more images. My mindset immediately was she saw something on the mammogram that she didn't like.Now, mind you, cancer runs in my family.I lost my mom to colon cancer.I lost four aunts to breast cancer.
So I immediately said, it's positive.I got it. Right.Here was a good thing.I then went from a mammogram and ultrasound to a biopsy.I got all of that in the same day.And the worst part for me, Cynthia, like you, was the waiting.I waited.
It wasn't even that long, but I waited.I think it was three days.Doctor got the results.She called me.Thank God.Everything was negative.But I only bring all that up to say, especially in the African-American community, We just don't talk about it.
Like, we don't sit down and have conversations about breast cancer, early detection, why it's important to get mammograms, because I really do, for me personally,
Especially because it runs in my family I really believe had I had conversations with my mom when she was here with my aunts when they were here about Early detection and getting a mammogram and why it's important I really think I would have been better about doing that and and not been so scared about it you know that was my thing was I just don't want to know and it should be the opposite because if you find out early enough and
There are things that can be done.
Yeah.You know, it's funny you mentioned that, Cheryl.If you think about our generation, just our age, you think about our parents' generation, their parents, they didn't know enough to prepare us for this.
My cousin who I'm speaking of, she's 20 years my senior, and she was like, I know it's cancer because my mom had cancer, so I'm automatically going to have cancer.She didn't know the research or if that was just,
a cyst or anything like that, she didn't know, you know?And so she just automatically assumed it was, which unfortunately for her it was, but she waited so long, right?I caught mine very early.Like when I say very early, stage zero DCIS.
Ductonal carcinoma, I think that's the correct term for it.But she found hers, and it was already in stage four, which is the worst stage of a cancer metastatic, you know, cancer.Even her,
She went through so many surgeries before she finally said, you know, just remove them, just remove them.But for me, I didn't have the option.Well, I did have an option.
I actually had three options, but the options she offered me were not options because I knew if I had taken option one, which was, we can go in and do a lymphectomy and try to take as much of it
out as we can, but we can't guarantee it's not gonna spread to the other, right?So I was like, okay, well, that's not an option.Then it was, well, we can remove one breast and then, you know, there's no guarantee that it won't go to the next breast.
I was like, well, that's not an option either.I need you to do what you need to do to make sure my life is saved, which was remove both breasts. So that's devastating in itself because that is a part of your womanhood.Yes.Yeah.
That is a part of who you are.And I'm like, I've grown these things 30 years.You try to take them from me?
Yeah.Right.Because remember, you were in the mirror looking at them, how beautiful they were.
Have you ever had a great makeup look?
I mean, seriously, only for it not to last?You want your makeup to give you confidence and make you feel bold.How's that going to happen if it doesn't last through the day?
So whether we're running errands, playing basketball on the court, or need makeup that can keep up with our lives on the go, E.L.F.Cosmetics is rocking the big mood energy.If we're talking about confidence, the E.L.F.
Instant Lift Brow Pencil is instant confidence.It gives you brows that look stunning, stays flawless, rain or shine.And if you want to talk bold, the E.L.F.
Big Mood Waterproof Mascara is here to give you lashes that pop with volume and lift.I mean, this is that extra bold false lash effect.
Well, you know what they say, Cheryl, go bold or go home.And with Elf Cosmetics, you're not just wearing makeup, you're rocking the big mood energy and feeling fabulous all day.
Brought to you by the Capital One Venture X Card.As a founding partner of I Heart Women's Sports, Capital One wants to bring you closer to the athletes you love. literally, with premium travel benefits from the Capital One Venture X card.
With Venture X, you earn unlimited double miles on everything you buy and turn everyday purchases into extraordinary trips.
Plus, you get premium benefits and a collection of luxury hotels when you book on Capital One Travel and access to over a thousand airport lounges worldwide.The Venture X card from Capital One.What's in your wallet?Terms apply.
Lounge access is subject to change.See CapitalOne.com for details.
You hear more and more about identity theft in the news every day.
Maybe that's because so much of your personal information is out of your control, like your insurance provider that has your social security number and your favorite retailer that has your payment details.
If they get breached, your information is vulnerable. Fortunately, there's LifeLock.LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points every second for identity threats.
If your identity is stolen, a LifeLock US-based restoration specialist will help solve identity theft issues on your behalf, guaranteed, or your money back.
Plus, all LifeLock plans are backed by the Million Dollar Protection Package, meaning LifeLock will reimburse you up to the limits of your plan if you lose money due to identity theft.
You might not be able to control how others handle your personal information, but you can help protect it with LifeLock.Save up to 40% your first year at LifeLock.com slash iHeart.That's 40% off your first year at LifeLock.com slash iHeart.
I have a grandmother who has survived breast cancer twice.I have an aunt who currently just rang the bell September 27th.She just finished her last chemo treatment on September 27th.And that aunt is only like 52 years old, right?
She's not old, you know what I mean?And then I have a cousin, she finished her cancer treatment in 2021.So she found out that she had breast cancer during the pandemic, which was really, really crazy.
Because how do you balance, people are already afraid of COVID, not being able to go into a hospital. And then also finding out that you have to go through all of these treatments.
You are oftentimes alone because unfortunately during the pandemic, you weren't allowed to bring visitors in with you to the hospital.So for a while for her, she kind of felt like she was really doing this on her own to battle this.
And so I have always grown up a girl with huge breasts.I literally just had a breast reduction in December because it was bad for my back.But at one point I was a 40 double N, N like Nancy, like Negro.Like them boys was out here, right?
Crazy, crazy, crazy.But I always remember as a child going to the hospital with my grandmother to get her mammogram.So I knew that around the time that I was like 35, 40 is when I really needed to start.
So I'd been asking my doctors, should I start now?Should I start now?And they kept saying, no, you can wait.You can wait.Well, now I had a breast reduction surgery in December of 2023.
So I can't technically do any of the radiation or anything until at least 12 months
past the surgery, but there's always this anxiety that sits in my head whenever I feel something weird, or even after the surgery, there's still, like, a little hardness here.
I clearly, I ask my surgeon, is this from the surgery, or is this something else I need to be worried about?So, there is always this fear when you have a family history of... Could this be me?Will this be me next?
But to your point, it's so different for us than from our family before us, because we have all of this information at our disposal now, and we really just got to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Because I think to your point, Cheryl, we don't have these conversations, not because there aren't organizations around or the information isn't available, but we scared.
We're scared, and we kind of have that mentality was, if I don't talk about it, if I don't think about it, it will out of sight, out of mind.It's not real.
Yeah, it's not real.I think for me, it's... just knowing my family history, right?And it's not just breast cancer, but I know with this being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, that's why this is so important to me.
But, you know, I lost my mom to colon cancer.As I said earlier, four aunts to breast cancer.I've lost uncles to prostate cancer.My brother just recently diagnosed with prostate cancer.So cancer runs in my family.But even in knowing that,
I don't like talking about it because to your point, T, if I don't talk about it, then it doesn't exist.And my mindset should be the complete opposite.It should be, let's talk about it.Let's get mammograms.
Let's get screened for prostate cancer because it's so important.Early detection saves lives.I really, truly believe that.
Yes, it's funny you mentioned that, Cheryl.I became an advocate, so I started going to these, it's called Young Survivor Coalition, and I met a girl there who was 16 years old when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer.
Young black lady, 16 years old.And I said to myself, at 16, how do you get there, right?How do you figure that out?So then I thought back to when I was in college.
I went to college in New Western State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, and I went in to get my annual.And the doctor felt something in my breast.My mom had to come down. and they determined there was only fibrocystic tissues growing.
So now after I found out I had breast cancer, I was wondering if that was the foundation of what was to come.I just didn't know that you could get diagnosed so early, right?
And I say, I'm at 16 year olds, I'm at 21 year old, they were further advanced like stage two or stage three than me. Right?And so I would go to these meetings, like these breast cancer survivors in the world, right?
We would all come into these meetings each year, and from year to year, we'd meet one person, and the next year, that person would no longer be there because they had passed on.
It scared me so much that I started to really involve myself, and I need to know more about this disease because what if it comes back?
Yeah, that's the thing. I know that certainly is what scared me.My grandmother was diagnosed twice and they told her the first time that there was still a mass there, but it was benign.So it wasn't spreading.It was good.
And for a while she felt like everything was good.But then maybe about two years later, not even a full two years, maybe about a year and a half, something just didn't feel right.She felt like it was moving.
And they went in and did an ultrasound and they did some other tests and only to find out that of that mass that was there, it was like 98% benign, but there was like this 2% that was starting to spread.
And so they asked her if she wanted to do a surgery, but I believe one of the options if she was to do a surgery is in order to replace the breast, there's like these bags, I guess,
And then you can keep going back ever so many months till you reach like the desired size that you would have wanted had you retained your breast.My mom was like 60 something years old.
She's like, listen, I ain't about to be going through all of these surgeries because I don't want to put myself in a position to where something else goes wrong. while I'm having this particular surgery.
She doesn't have any heart issues or anything like that, but in her mind, she just kept saying, I don't want to do anything that's going to put me in a position at my old age to be hit with something else.Long story short,
because we are all faith-based women on this call.
Luckily for my grandmother, they were able to do a minimally invasive surgery on that particular breast to remove that 2% of tissue that was causing her issues, and she has not had any issues ever since.So this is going on 2018, so six years.
So she's a six-year survivor.And it's amazing.I'm so proud of her.But one thing that she does now, and you kind of touched on it, is that she continues to talk to any and everybody who she can about
ensuring they are staying on point with their mammograms, doing the self-test.She's an old lady from Georgia, so she'd be like, don't be scared to touch yourself, girl.Just go ahead.
Again, it makes people uncomfortable, but it's that uncomfortable conversation that you have to have.
You've kind of touched on it, but I would love to know, you know, since going through your process in order to overcome this disease, how else are you ensuring to advocate for other women, to inspire them?
Because your story is really an inspiration to continue to fight and continue to get as much information as you can.
Well, there are times that I was in church, like back home, going to speak in women's conferences about it. And one of the things that was important to me and still is today, but especially then was the financial aspect of this thing.
So that biopsy that I said hurt so bad cost me $18,000.So not only did they put some pain in me, they put some pain in that pocket too.
But remember, I told you three years prior to that, I had taken out an insurance policy that I didn't know that I would need later in life. So for three years straight, I was paid $39.10.So April 7th, I was diagnosed.
That's when I got the call that day.I remembered that that $39.10 was coming out.So I immediately got on the phone and I called these folks.I was like, hey, listen, I was just diagnosed with breast cancer.I have a cancer policy.What I need to do?
And they're, you know, I'm so sorry.We're going to take care of you. I was like, okay, great.So what you need for me?So then I feel like this form and back to back to us or blah, whatever.So they paid me just for being diagnosed.
And I say, paid me, they sent me a check for, we're so sorry.Here's $1,500.Okay, cool.Thank you. Right?Right.Thursday, the superintendent calls me, because I live in a small district there.
He calls me and he said, I'm so sorry since I found the news out.Let us know whatever you need.
And I said, well, the doctor said they're going to, because I talked to the doctor that morning, she said they're going to move pretty fast because it's such a mess.And let me tell you about this mess, right?
So let me put it to you so you understand when I say mess.It was the size of a Blue Magic lid, that white lid.Y'all know about the Blue Magic?Like hair grease.
centimeters in diameter and one breast.So for those of you who do not know, if you listen to this podcast and you do not know what Blue Magic Hair Grease is, let me put it to you in another way.You see the bottom of a Mason jar?That's the size.
Bottom of a Mason jar.Because I'm looking up this stuff.And she told me, because that day she just told me I had breast cancer that Wednesday.So that Thursday we get on the phone.I'm like, OK, let's go.What's up?What are we going to do?
Because I had prayed about it that night.Talked to my family, called all my siblings.This is what it is.I don't know the extent, other than it's the earliest stages.So that's a good thing.So I get on the phone with the doctor.
She's telling me all the things.So she said 7.5 centimeters diameter.I'm like, I teach English.I don't know math like that.So I went to Googling.And that's what appeared.So I'm like, OK, this is large.This is not something small.
That's when she was telling me it's so large that we need to remove it, blah, blah, blah, whatever. So ended up having a bilateral mastectomy, which is having both breasts removed.
So back to that phone call with the superintendent, he said, if you need some time off, I said, I'm gonna have to have surgery pretty quick, and they want to do it fast.And he said, okay, so how many days do you have left?
I said, I've been taking off days, because I have to go to these appointments.I said, I don't have lots.And he was like, we'll get you the days.Don't worry about that.Because I had to take off in May.From May on out, I was out of there.
So he said, the secretary wants to talk to you.So I said, okay, thank you. And he said, I'm so sorry, Cynthia.She said, but the insurance guy is coming to school on Tuesday.Can you meet with him so that you guys can work out all the things?
I was like, yes, because I fill out these forms.And I don't know if they'll not rise.It's perfect.I just hang on to them.When he comes in, I'll give them to him.
So fast forward to Tuesday for my kids in the library, because we were working on research papers at that time, I was teaching sophomore English.Oh, and by the way, one of my students did advance to state that year.She got third.
So that was a blessing, right?Love those kids.Those kids were amazing.Their families, when I say they rallied, they rallied for me.
So Tuesday, I go into the teacher's workroom and I have these papers and I was all like, thank you so much for coming out and meeting with me.
I don't know what to do because I've never experienced anything like this, but any help with this is greatly appreciated.So he comes in and I said, here's the forms that you guys told me to fill out.I printed them off.And so I'm giving them to you.
And he looks at the form and he says, these are not my forms.And I say, yes, they are.Because I pay you $39.10 in 30 months.These are your forms.
These are your forms. No.I said, well, if they're not yours, who's right there?They're legit.What am I paying for?I've got scams.And he was all like, no, this is a legit policy.You've been paying every month.This is a company.It's fine.
I said, well, then who are you?And he said, well, you have a policy with me, too.I said, what?He said, yeah.He said, when you started working over here, you filled out this policy, and they were taking them out of your check every month.
And so you have a policy with me, too.I said, wait. I said, so what does that mean?
Because- So you had two policies, pretty much.
Two cancer policies.That you weren't aware of.That I was not aware of.I knew I had the one, because I was paying $39.10 every month, but I did not know I had the other one.And this, like I said, I began to feel myself being lifted, carried almost.
God was like, I got you.Remember you prayed for this.You said you were going to do this.You stuck to that.You were in church. You've been in church, you've been praying, you've been crying, and here I am, so let me guide you."That was big to me.
I'm always making sure that I'm financially secure in a way that I have to take care of myself, because I wasn't married or whatever.
So when I tell y'all, ladies, and this is another one, when you asked about advocating, I advocate for not only my health, but I have to advocate finances too for people, because if you don't know, you just don't know, right?And I didn't know. Right.
I said, so what am I to do?He said, well, collect from them because you pay them and we're going to pay you too.I said, okay.So they're like, again, we're sorry.We're into this.Here's a check.So that check was like $2,500.So I'm already up 4,000.
I'm like, oh, okay.This is what we're doing.Okay, breast cancer.You think you're doing something.You're not doing nothing.You know, they paid me.Right.I had my first surgery was to remove the mass. My second surgery was to add expanders.
And you spoke with your grandmother having these things put in to adjust the size.Those are called expanders.I had those.So that was my second surgery.Third surgery was removing those.Fourth surgery was an implant.
Fifth surgery, one of the implants ruptured.Sixth surgery, in that one whole year, like almost a year and a half, I had to have another emergency surgery because went to New York for a journalism conference, caught an infection in that.
So this is my sixth surgery.Was sick from that infection.Had to go back.So this is what I'm telling you guys.Sometimes it's not just as easy as a one-stop shop.It's so many things that could go wrong.
So many levels.It's so many levels.
It's so many levels to this.
There are definitely levels to this.
Definitely levels to this. Have you ever had a great makeup look?
I mean, seriously, only for it not to last?You want your makeup to give you confidence and make you feel bold.How's that going to happen if it doesn't last through the day?
So whether we're running errands, playing basketball on the court, or need makeup that can keep up with our lives on the go, E.L.F.Cosmetics is rocking the big mood energy.If we're talking about confidence, the E.L.F.
Instant Lift Brow Pencil is instant confidence.It gives you brows that look stunning, stays flawless, rain or shine.And if you want to talk bold, the E.L.F.
Big Mood Waterproof Mascara is here to give you lashes that pop with volume and lift.I mean, this is that extra bold false lash effect.
Well, you know what they say, Cheryl, go bold or go home.And with Elf Cosmetics, you're not just wearing makeup, you're rocking the big mood energy and feeling fabulous all day.
Brought to you by the Capital One Quicksilver card.
As a founding partner of I Heart Women's Sports, Capital One wants to help you hear more about today's top female athletes, learn more about your favorite teams, and earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase everywhere.
Plus, there's no limit to the amount of cash back you can earn, and rewards don't expire for the life of the account.It's that simple.The Quicksilver card by Capital One.What's in your wallet?Terms apply.See CapitalOne.com for details.
ATTENTION PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS!ARE YOU SEARCHING FOR THE PERFECT GIFT FOR YOUR KIDS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON?GIVE THE GIFT OF ADVENTURE THAT WILL LAST ALL YEAR LONG!A GUARDIAN BIKE!THE EASIEST, SAFEST AND QUICKEST BIKES FOR KIDS TO LEARN ON!
KIDS ARE LEARNING TO RIDE IN JUST ONE DAY!NO TRAINING WHEELS NEEDED!WHAT SETS GUARDIAN BIKES APART?
Designed especially for stability, they're low to the ground with a wide wheelbase and ultra-lightweight frames, offering superior control and balance.This design gives young riders the ability to learn in just one day, without tears or frustration.
Guardian bikes are the only kids' bikes designed and assembled in a USA factory, ensuring top-notch quality and durability.They were also featured on Shark Tank and are the New York Times Wirecutter Top Kids' Bike Pick for 2024.
Join the hundreds of thousands of happy families by getting a Guardian bike today.Their holiday season sales have begun, offering the biggest deal of the year.Save up to 25% on bikes.No code needed.
Plus, get free shipping and a free bike lock and pump with your first purchase after signing up for their newsletter.Visit GuardianBikes.com to take advantage of these deals and secure your holiday season gifts today.Happy riding.
I know we were talking about, you know, you just had six surgeries all within a year.There's an entirely separate treatment process that you had to go through outside of that.
But when you were able to, I guess, kind of get your feet underneath you, what was the process like for you mentally to try to find some normalcy?What did normal look like after having going through all of what you've had to go through?
Well, dating and intimacy was so painful.I can imagine.Yeah.I wasn't sure if I'd be accepted for, you know, because I don't have real breasts.I knew that it would be weird.
I have scars, but I just had to come to grips with myself and say, these are your battle scars, baby.If they can't accept that, they don't need you anyway. period.
So that was just one of the things that it was a mental teardown, I guess I could say that because I was so young, right?The doctor opted to not have chemotherapy because the mass had not spread.
I had to do six weeks, day for day, five days a week of radiation.So that was every day, my whole summer break. six weeks, day in, day out, burn to have one breast that's darker than the other breast, right?Because of the radiation burn.
So that part wasn't as bad.It was just six weeks is a long time when you think, gosh, I gotta do this every day.
I mean, every day, like five days a week, you got a break on Saturday and Sunday, and on Saturday and Sundays at that time, you were just trying to heal from the burn.Put the cream on, but laying on your back,
with these thousands of rays coming into your body.You get nauseous.It's not ideal.But that was me praying, God, I need patience because this is tough.
Well, you know, they say the saying is patience is virtue, but honey, I ain't figured that out yet.And I have, I ain't figured that out yet.I have no, no patience, none.
So as we look forward to like next steps and if there is any, I don't even want to say advice, but just thinking about, you know, how what you have had to endure has kind of helped make you who you are.
What do you or how do you describe like the person that you are now versus the person that you were before having to fight this battle with breast cancer?
Well, I've learned a lot of things.One I've learned for sure is I'm not exempt.Right.I'm not exempt from whatever is supposed to happen.I'm not exempt from breast cancer, I'm not exempt from anything that is supposed to happen to me.
So once you accept that, and you know, you know, hey, it could happen, it can happen.One thing I would also tell people is you have to be an advocate for yourself.Right?One of the friends that I met in this journey
She was explaining to me that she would go to the doctor, go to the doctor because her body just wasn't feeling right.And they would say, oh, it's nothing.You're fine.You're fine.You're fine.
And she said, and when she finally got to see a doctor who would listen to her, her breast cancer had already advanced to stage three.Right.And so you see so many stories of women of color, for sure. who they won't listen to you.
Doctors just won't listen to you because they feel like, I don't know, I don't know.I can't say why they won't listen to you, but I will say this, be your own personal advocate.
If nothing else, it is important that if something's not right, something's not right.Today, 12 years later, I went to the doctor, what, a couple of weeks ago, Cheryl, I was telling you about this?Because I felt a knot, small knot in my right breast,
where the cancer began.So I immediately called my OB-GYN here in Houston, because all of my other files are back in public, of course.And I said, listen, I've had breast cancer 12 years ago.I feel something, I need to be seen.
So she got back with me within a week, went in, and I hadn't had a mammogram in 12 years.Why?Because I have no breast tissue.Came in, did the ultrasound, tiny, like fingertip tiny. but I can feel it, I can feel it even now.So it's enough to scare me.
Because again, I'm not exempt from it coming back.So she goes in, we do the ultrasound, she goes, well, we're gonna do a mammogram because a mammogram can tell you more than what the ultrasound can.
And I sat there after the mammogram and I cried so bad because this was me 12 years ago all over again, not doing what to expect. She came in and she said, it's just scar tissue from your surgery.
I know all about that.Yep.But it's the fact that they listened to you and took what you were saying seriously, because you're right.There were a lot of places that don't really listen to what their patients are saying.
It's like, you may be a medical doctor, so you know all this medical jargon that we don't know, but we know what's going on with our bodies.Like we know when something's not right.Yes.
So I say, be an advocate for yourself, for your health, for your finances.Get a small policy because again, you just never know. Yeah, and let me tell you about the blessings of God, right?When I began to feel carried after
They told me, you have two policies, just cash in both of them.I began to feel carried, like that weight had just been lifted, because that weight was on me, girl.That weight was on my shoulders, because that's expensive, right?
I know I'm about to spend some money.And as a teacher, you know teachers don't make what they want.Y'all ain't making no money like that.Y'all ain't making no money like that.All I could say was, thank you, Jesus.Thank you, God.
Because what the devil meant, for evil, God turned into something great for my life.
There are too many women, especially black and brown women who unfortunately don't have that same outcome.So it is absolutely a blessing that you are still here, Cynthia, to tell your story.
I haven't got to really share my story like this in a while, right?Because life happens and you just move on and you go in.And so anytime I get the opportunity, I always want to tell, you know,
Women, listen, Breast Cancer Awareness Month is October, but breast cancer awareness should be 365.A hundred percent.A hundred percent.Listen to your body and trust what it's telling you.I love it.Thank you.
Cheryl, that was... First of all... Everything.Everything, right? Cynthia really gave us so much information.And honestly, I admire her and women like her, because I don't know if I have that kind of strength, resiliency, determination.
I don't know if I got it.I think I got it, but I don't really know if I got it.
Well, y'all can't see me, but I already got tears in my eyes. First of all, you do have it, but maybe it's on a different level.Because my thing is this, for anyone who has and is battling any type of cancer, it's hard.
And for her to have the strength and the courage to talk about it, so you're having to relive moment right like I got emotional hearing her story and talking about it because it just I reflected so much on my personal scare.
My mom had 13 brothers and sisters and at least 8 of them passed away from some form of cancer. I lost my mom to colon cancer, uncles to prostate cancer.I lost aunts to breast cancer.And it's such a...
an emotional thing for me, but I also feel like it's a needed space for women, even for men, right, to talk about, because, and Cynthia said, I don't really talk about it much.
I don't really have anywhere I can go or anybody I can talk to, so to be able to give her that space to share her story, my hopes, T, are that someone will listen to this episode and hear her story and how she survived, right?She is a true survivor.
And go get your mammogram.Early detection is key.And so many of us are afraid of what might be there, what the doctors might find, that we would rather not know.And I want to say this.I was the same way.
And when I got my mammogram early May of this year, initially she was like, okay, it's good.Then she saw some images that she was like, I don't like this.We need to go get an ultrasound.I got an ultrasound the same day.
I actually got a biopsy and we talked about it.You mentioned it, that waiting period of getting the results back the longest time ever.And it only took three or four days for me to get my results back and thank God everything came back okay.But
You know, the thought of the doctor coming to you saying you have cancer. It just puts me in a space where I'm like, I don't know how I would react.
But I do know this, early detection is key, so that if they do find something early enough, it's treatable, it's curable.So thank you to Cynthia for coming on, for enlightening us, because there's so much out there that I don't know.
But thank you, Cynthia, for sharing your story with us and to our listeners.
Absolutely.We absolutely love that.We absolutely appreciate her.And there are so many different organizations that are out there that are providing information.You are an ambassador for Rat Neck.
You have been talking about breast cancer awareness and the importance of early detection in mammograms.You know, as we talked about on the show, my grandmother is a two-time survivor. So she's very involved with the Susan G. Komen Association.
So I always try to raise money or do something that I can in that way.I have talked to people at the Sisters Network in Houston, Texas. They're an organization that focus on breast cancer awareness and research specifically for black and brown women.
So there are just so many organizations and places that you can go to get information that are way more advanced now than there were in the past.
So we just, you know, here at Levels to This want to just encourage everybody and men too, let's not, you know, I don't want men to think that they don't have breast cancer because men can get it too.
So just everyone, take care of yourselves, take care of your bodies.And are you going to level us up today?
I got something for y'all.
This one is really short and sweet, but based off of our conversation and with it being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I really want to try to leave you all with something encouraging because I know there can be days and moments.
My mom, again, passed away from colon cancer and There were days where she was just like, I just don't have the strength anymore.And I'm sure there's so many people out there who feel that way.So this is for you.
And it says, the struggle you're in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow.So don't give up. Short and sweet.And that is a word.But keep fighting.We got you.We hear you.We see you.We feel you.And you're not alone.So don't give up.
No better way to end the show than on that.So thanks everybody for listening to Levels To This.We will be back next week with more next level conversations about just the real shit that we go through as women. But remember, this isn't just our show.
It is our show.So we want to hear from you.Leave us a review in Apple Podcasts.Tell us what you thought of this week's show.Maybe let us know what you want to talk about next.You can follow us on Instagram at LTT Pod.
But until then, keep your mentals ground level and we'll be back next week.
Whether we're running errands or running plays on the basketball court, we need makeup that can keep up with our lives on the go.And e.l.f.Cosmetics is rocking the big mood energy.
The Big Mood Waterproof Mascara gives you volume and lift for those big, bold lashes that last.Because it doesn't matter how great your makeup looks if it doesn't last.
That's big facts.And so with Elf Cosmetics, you're not just wearing makeup, you're rocking the big mood energy and feeling fabulous all day.
Good sleep should come naturally.And with the new Natural Hybrid mattress, it can.A collaboration between Lisa and West Elm, the Natural Hybrid is expertly crafted from natural latex, natural wool,
and certified safe foams to elevate your sleep sanctuary and support a greener tomorrow.Breathable organic cotton and moisture wicking Joma wool consistently provide cool and comfortable slumber.
Every purchase helps fuel Lisa's work with shelters and those in need.Visit Lisa.com to learn more.That's L-E-E-S-A.com. That's fall calling, and the Pumpkin Spice Latte is back at Starbucks.
From that first sweater to late autumn weather, it's all a fall in just one sip.Order ahead on the Starbucks app.
Sign in
