The Power of Pink: How Susan G. Komen Leads in Breast Cancer Research

Our vision statement is a world without breast cancer. To me, that's our ultimate goal is we want to eradicate.

I know ultramarathoners, physically fit people that are really tough. And then I meet breast cancer survivors. I mean, that's tough. We stop with them. We just say, "Turn around." 7,000 people, 8,000 people clapping for you. It's really special.

Someone gets diagnosed with breast cancer. Where do they need the most help immediately? From South Bend to Evansville and everywhere in between, this is Get In, the show focused on the Hoosier State and the incredible stories happening here today. I'm Nate Spangle, founder of Get Indiana, and I will be your host for today's conversation. If you've been hunting for a brunch spot that understands food allergies and has bold flavors, look no further than Fire and Ice Cafe in Indianapolis. This hidden gem serves up European inspired dishes that are entirely gluten-free.

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Grab your brunch crew and head to Fire and Ice Cafe at 6211 Allisonville Road, and your taste buds are going to thank you. Now, let's dive into the episode. Today, I have three amazing guests. I'm joined by Steven Hunt, executive director of Susan G. Kman Indianapolis, Tammy Lisby, a resilient breast cancer survivor and survivor chair for the Indianapolis More Than Pink Walk. And Ryan Randolph, president of the board at Susan G.

Kman Indiana. Now, Susan G. Kman is the world's leading breast cancer organization, funding groundbreaking research, advocating for health equity, and providing vital support to those affected by breast cancer. Since its founding in 1982, it has invested nearly 1. 1 billion with a B dollars in research and provided support to over 220,000 patients. Today, we're going to be talking about the founding of the Susan G.

Kman Foundation talk about their mission uh the more than pink walk that's put on every October and can do a little bit of the survival statistics and the work that you all are doing uh within the state of Indiana and ways listeners if you listen till the end ways that you can get plugged in whether as a walker or maybe a little bit more of a there might be some openings on a board that might be coming up. So uh everyone welcome to get in.

Thank you. Thanks Nick.

I am really really excited to have you all on here. this is a topic and uh u I don't like just an organization that's very close to my heart. Uh my mom got breast cancer with this would have been back in 2012 2013 um and ultimately passed away in 2017 um as like correlated to breast cancer. So, uh, when I got the I think I got a request or something and I was like, "Oh, yes, we absolutely have to have y'all on and talk about this." Uh, because it's very, very important and there was a ton of work done on both the patient side as well as the research side. And I think the the one Indiana specifically around IU Health is doing so much work on the research side, like literally groundbreaking research um, for a lot of cancer future cancer treatments. So I think where I want to start at is Susan G. Kman. Who is this? Who is this woman?

Yeah, it's a great question and a lot of people don't really know the story. So um Susan G. Kman Foundation came about because of a promise between two sisters. Susie Kleman um was diagnosed with breast cancer uh back in the early 80 or sorry 70s. Um and she lived for a few years but unfortunately ultimately passed. Um, but she made her sister make her a promise that her sister Nancy Brinkman would do everything that she could to take care, you know, get rid of breast cancer. And so after Susie died,

to get rid of breast cancer.

Yeah. I mean, to, you know, take care of this, you know, she didn't want anyone else to to go through what she went through. Like you said, in 1982, uh, Nancy started the Susan G. Kman Foundation. She literally, this story always blows my mind that she literally had $100 and she had a shoe box full of potential donor's names and that's where it all started and here we are 45 years later, 43 years later.

Public math is hard.

Public math is way hard. Um, and you know, it's grown into this national organization uh with international reach and just like you said, we're the number one non-government uh funding for breast cancer research comes through the Susan G. Kov Foundation.

Nice. And and when thinking about research, I think that uh that's something that people need it be good to to educate people on is there's money that goes to, you know, there's certain charities or whatever that like supports patients that are actively in this, you know, battle. And then there's like the research side, which is like if your goal is to eradicate breast cancer from the planet, it's like it happens on the research side in laboratories and clinical trials and that kind of thing. So what's the work that you all are helping fund? like what does that look like? Um

our vision statement is what resonates with me more than our mission statement which honestly is so long I can't remember it. Um but our vision statement is a world without breast cancer and so that's what I always lead with because to me that's our ultimate goal is we want to eradicate it.

Uh so in answer to your question uh Susan G. Kman over the years and maybe I should give you a little bit of history to back it up somewhat. So when the original uh foundation launched and spread across the nation, we were kind of like I like to uh say it's akin to a franchise. There was uh the Susan J. Kman main office.

Where was that at?

Dallas, Texas. At least it has been for the last few years.

Where where Susan was from Texas?

No, she's from Peoria, Illinois.

Huh.

Right. I know. Yeah. Just across, you know, three hours away.

Yeah. But so when the the originally it rolled out, we were all what we called affiliates and they were all independent 501c3s that were based in the various states. And in each state you could have three, five, seven and they were all their own individual.

Oh, so I could be like an affiliate in South Bend or like Fischers and then there's another one in Carmel or Lines. Exactly. Wow. So, here in Indiana, we I know for a fact we had Evansville, we had Ter Hope, we had Indianapolis, we had Fort Wayne, and I believe there was a South Bend. Um, those are the ones just off the top of my head that I've learned about over the years. What made that not work was that the offices only served their specific region. So here in Indianapolis, we served Marian County and the doughnut counties. But if you lived outside of the doughnut counties and you weren't in one of the other areas, you couldn't get services. So if you live in Greenfield, I'm sorry, you're out of my range and and I can't help you as much as I want to. Um, and that continued all the way up until 2000.

Well, and when you say services, like what are the ways in which you're helping individuals? Back when it all started, the individual affiliates would fundra uh and those fundraising 10% of it Ryan was

uh 10 to 20%

10 to 20% of that directly went to our home office and that's where the national research dollars came from. Everyone would send that money and pool it and then through the process of getting a research grant the office would decide who gets what. But then the additional 80 to 90% that was raised locally was then given out in grants through the office to local communities. So for many years um the Indianapolis office supported Little Red Door, supported Pink Ribbon Connection, you know, all these local agencies that provided the services. So we never actually gave money to anyone. We never actually drove someone to and for a treatment, but we gave the money to the agencies that were able to do that.

That's how it worked up until 2019 20 thou uh 2020 mark. Um at that point, I don't know this for a fact, but I always say it. I'm like I feel like the pandemic forced a decision that had already been made and Susan G. Kman went from that affiliate model to one national organization. So, we no longer had 300 affiliates doing their own thing with their own HR departments, their own IT departments, their own boards, hiring and firing the staff. We are now one unified organization.

Not only are we able to service everyone, doesn't matter where you live, which is one of my favorite things. It doesn't matter where you live, you can

So, up until 2019, you could only like the Indian, it was like the Indianapolis chapter.

Yep.

Oh, wow. Yeah.

So, like Yeah. rural Indiana was definitely left out of the mix there.

Totally left out of the mix. And let's say the Indianapolis affiliate was a very successful affiliate. Um, and so had a lot of money, but they could only use that money for central Indiana and those counties that we serviced. And so if there was extra money, you know, it's like not like someone again in Greenfield, they had no options. Whereas now we serve all 92 counties in Indiana. Doesn't matter where you live.

And throughout that we serve every county in the United States. So it doesn't matter where you live. my Kentucky friend here. If Possum Trot Kentucky has a survivor who is currently going through treatment and it's costing them, you know, x amount of money, they can reach out to our national hotline and get connected to resources that will provide them with services, will provide them uh with some financial aid depending on their circumstances, uh counseling, an ear to listen to, you know, just all those things that when we were in affiliate it wasn't possible.

Yeah. Yeah. And it's like you can't like borrow from your neighbor like hey is there a surplus up in South Bend like we have some we need some help down here in India or whatever that might be.

Yeah. Okay.

So it's a much better model than what it used to be.

And so today funding wise like dollars raised in does a large portion go to the national piece and then it gets divvied out like how does that work and what are some of the organizations that you're currently funding in 2025?

Yeah so it's kind of a different model. So now all the proceeds that we we raise will go to the national office. Then the national office then um we have brought in those services inhouse. We now have our own patient service center. Um we have patient navigators that are on call. Um all the things that we were giving grants to local organizations to do we now do through a national umbrella uh with an 800 number that that people can call and and talk to or through our website. But now it's more of like oh we saw that the most we were writing you know a hundred million dollars in grants or whatever it is you know per year to XYZ service across the country let's bring that and try to do it with an efficient use of capital all that stuff.

Exactly. Exactly. And then when it comes to the research Indiana we are fortunate that we have two premier research facilities in the state. you you mentioned IU uh IU uh here in Indianapolis, but there's also uh by extension Bloomington, but also Notre Dame has a huge uh cancer research facility. So, we actually uh get a a very good percentage of research dollars that are coming back to Indiana. It's actually, don't ask me numbers because like I told you, I'm not a numbers person.

Um but we bring more research dollars back into Indiana than we fund raise throughout the course of the entire year. That's that's pretty cool and provides a lot of opportunities for that, you know, those in the education, the research sector there. Amazing. Um well, I'd love to talk about what got each of you involved with the Susan G. Kman Foundation and um Tammy, I think the perfect place to start would be with you. Um cuz I believe that your connection to the the Susan G.

Kman Foundation is will be a little bit different than ours. So, how did the the Susan G. Kilman Foundation get on your radar and how did you end up becoming the chair of the More Than Pink Walk?

I got involved because I got breast cancer and um in 2017 I found my own lump. Um went through the journey. You find peace with other people that have gone through it. When I first started, I started with the American Cancer Society. They had a local walk at that time. A few months later, I got introduced to the Susan G. Kleman uh walk. Decided to try to raise some dollars uh do the walk. It happened in my one year cancerary. So it was my first Susan G. Kman walk and I had a team of about 35 friends and family that came out and walked with me. Um my team starting in 2018 and and to present is Tammy's Tata Trotters.

Yes.

And the whole thing is kind of a nod to obviously the Tatas and then a Trotter. Um I am from Pawsum Trot Kentucky so I have a nod to the Trotter. So I still have my team. Um they still support me and um I love to do the walk every year. Got involved in the actual administration of the walk uh through Steven. I call it being volunttoled that I want that I wanted to do that which which I did want to do that. Um he asked me if I would like to be involved and I very much would. It's a cause obviously very close to my heart. My mama also had breast cancer now me and I have a 14-year-old granddaughter that I very much do not want her to go through this

2017 take us back to that moment and like the the weeks months that that go into you know you said that one year canversary but there's 52 weeks of a journey of a battle that gets you to

Tammy's tata trotters walking right like what's the first thing you do who do you call who do you talk to

well the first like I said first I found my own lump by chance called my uh gynecologist got an appointment well let me back up and say that I found my own lump the night before we were leaving for a twoe vacation so um needless to say that vacation was a little bit not as great as it could have been and I had to wait until I got back to get into my gynecologist so I went into her she felt it and said you know you need to go need to go have a mammogram which my mammogram luckily was scheduled for about 6 weeks from that point, but she went ahead and got me in early.

Like you talk about a two week vacation, what's going through your head while you're like waiting to figure out what's going on?

That is all that's going on in your head. There are parts of that that I don't even remember because it was it's just all of a sudden that is your whole brain. It it's it's your whole brain. Um, and you have yourself I mean, you know, like they say, don't go on the internet, but of course, everybody goes on the internet. And after a couple days going on the internet, I didn't want to go on the internet anymore.

Oh my gosh.

No, I didn't. You know, you have yourself you have yourself in every situation in your mind. I ended up having my mammogram about a week after that. At that mammogram, they told me they wanted to do a biopsy. So, and of course, that mammogram was on the Friday before Labor Day weekend. So they brought me back on Tuesday for a biopsy.

Yeah, a long weekend. Fun. And um then on Wednesday, they actually I was so nerve-wracked when I went in for that biopsy. And I think that the radiologist got he they're they're all so wonderful the way they treat you. He knew how nervous I was and how hard I mean I'm sure it's hard for everybody and everybody has their own journey with it. But clearly he could tell because he actually called my husband with the results instead of me and asked my husband, "Should I call her or do you want to tell her because I'm not sure how she's going to do?"

And so I got home from work that day and my husband was in the kitchen and he just told me, "Got the call today and it's cancer." And they said, he said, "And you have an appointment Friday with a breast surgeon." And it went from there. And I mean, it went at that point, they take you and you go on autopilot. They they take you, you have a navigator, you have a surgeon, you you have your, you know, person that's going to do your um radiation. You know, they already have everything planned for you.

You really

Where were you getting your treatment at?

Community South.

Community South. Okay. They truly just let you just coast through it if you can't function. And for the first few weeks, I couldn't function. I I I was going to to surgeon to MRIs and I mean just everything.

And there's probably a million things that they're throwing at you to like you're going to have this and then you're going to have that and it's like no one at any stage could keep all that like together as well as like battle this life-threatening disease. They assign you a navigator

and they give you a notebook and I mean literally everything is mapped out for you. And for probably the first month I probably spoke to my navigator almost daily. She would call um text whatever you know remind me of this remind me of that. Need to do this. Need to do that. And then surgery day comes. I had a lumpctomy. They walk you through all of that. Go home. found out six days later that my lump um contained invasive cells which they did not find in the biopsy. So I then had to go back 14 days or so after my surgery and have lymph nodectomy so they could check lymph nodes. Um I was very fortunate that those were all clear and then you start your radiation or whatever treatment you're going to have. And so I went from starting out in late August to I rang the bell on my birthday, December 28th of 2017.

Wow. One, I mean, congratulations. That's an incredible That's a lot packed into that period of time from August to December.

It's your whole life. It's it's literally like a job.

And I just can't imagine, you know, that moment where you walk into the kitchen and your husband's there and you have that conversation. But it is nice that there are the resources that like help you through this journey. I think back to my mom's journey and I was like a largely a kid, like a high school kid. So, I'm very engulfed with like myself and who I was going to the prom with or whatever, right? And and I didn't really like like now I hear I like want to cry cuz I'm like thinking about how as a kid I didn't care nearly enough and like I didn't like do I'm like this is going to be this is going to be an episode people. Let me tell you. So a as you're going through that like like your feeling your emotional like because at first I I have to imagine it's very defeating and it's like what kind of went through your head as you thought like no I have to go and like do this battle

like I said when you first get diagnosed I mean everything that goes through your head I mean in 15 minutes you have yourself dead in your mind right I mean that's just how it goes and and and I know that almost everybody that's been diagnosed goes through that. It wasn't just me. And but when you start thinking about your life, um I had grandbabies at that point. Um two grandbabies at that point. Now I have four. Shout out to the grandb babies. And um

avid listeners, avid listeners at the beginning of the podcast, the grandbabies extraordinaire.

Yes. But I mean, as anybody, I just wasn't ready for my life to be over. you know, I was just getting into the the golden years, you know, the the getting, you know, I I only work part-time now. I'm getting ready to retire soon. You know, I have grandbabies. I didn't I wasn't ready to be done.

Yeah.

You know, so you just decide. I mean, you have to decide, am I going to am I going to give up or am I going to do do it?

The attitude and that like goes into the speed of your recovery

100%. You have to view this, like I said, almost as a job. You know, this is what I have to do. At first I didn't have a positive attitude. It was everything in my brain was very negative. But that is where the staff at Community South and the navigators and other survivors like they immediately had me um start attending this support group that is held at at Community South of other survivors. And I will say other survivors are probably the biggest part of what brought me back to this is just a speed bump. you know, this is just a speed bump and you're going to get through this and it's going to be in your past and you're never going to forget it. Um, and they're right and I still have some anxiety in life when it's time for my yearly mamogram, you know.

Um, but the other survivors who have been through it and have done it and um they're the ones that put the spark back in me that, you know, I'm going to be one of you soon. What's the piece of this battle with breast cancer that most people might not think about, that most people might not like have heard of? Like I think a lot of people see it's like you have to go through, you have your surgery, you have the treatments, it's terrible. Like I seeing that happen to my best friend, like I would not wish cancer treatment on the my worst enemy, but is there a piece that like no one talks about or no one thinks about or like that was just maybe oddly challenging that you that people need to know about? When I first found out that I had cancer, I mean, I thought, "Okay, I'm going to lose my hair. You know, I'm going to this chemo is going to be terrible.

I'm going to be sick. I'm going to I didn't even realize that there was a decent chance that I wasn't even going to have to have chemo, which I did not. Um, I did not. I only had to do I say only, but I only had to do radiation, you know, surgery and radiation." I think that that's probably a misnomer to a lot of people. They think, you know, cancer, you're going to have chemo, you're going to lose your hair, and this is, but it's not.

For me, it wasn't. That was not my journey. Now, that's a lot of people's journeys, but I think for me, it's I so I really can't comment on what chemo feels like, and I'm sure it makes the journey much much worse. There's not it's not a one-stop shop. It's not this is not exactly how everybody's goes,

but I think the the like emotional and mental stress and the toll there has to like I don't know if it's equal to the physical but like there's a that's a large like weight to carry on your shoulders from like the the physical side of like doing the treatment and all that as well as like you know in the back of your head you're like I remember what I read read on WebMD you know like

yeah the emotional and mental state was probably the hardest for me much harder than the physical I mean, nobody likes a bazillion needles stuck in you all the time. But I mean, the mental and physical, mental and emotional was harder than the physical. But one thing I'll say, and I tell this, there's one story I tell anybody, any place I speak about this at all, that before breast cancer, I mean, I now can define my life a little bit, you know, pre-reast cancer, post breast cancer. And I've always been somebody that's dealt with a great deal of anxiety. I've just always been that worrier. My husband always would say if I didn't have anything to worry about, I would go next door and see if they had something I could worry about.

And that is truly how I always was since breast cancer. It's not like that. Not saying I don't worry about normal things, but it's like I don't sweat the small stuff anymore. That put my brain into perspective.

Yeah. It gave you a new reference point of perspective and I I think that is so powerful.

One day, one of the things we love about Tammy and we she's just been such a great ambassador for Coleman and and you know, you see her and you just light up, right? I mean, she's got a pink tutu on it thing. She's all decked out in the pink and and and honestly, anybody that that's around her, your whole day just changes, right? And and and I think that's a, you know, that's a testament to what you've gone through, Tammy,

because because to your point, you were a different person before and after. And and I will tell you that process, while tough,

has impacted so many other people because of that. So, I run a lot like I've done an ultramarathon and Iron Man like and I always have like the pink breast cancer ribbon on my shoe and it is really uh moving for me. Sorry.

Uh it's moving for me because it's like when you're in the midst of this race or whatever the thing is, it's tough and it's like I look down and I'm like this isn't tough. This isn't tough. Like I like I know ultramarathoners. I know like I I know all these crazy like physically fit people that are really tough, but then it's like and then I meet the breast cancer patients, survivors, like the whole nine yards. I'm like that's tough.

And that's what I mean when I say that, you know, it put my brain into perspective because things that I thought were hard or tough or impossible. Not even close. I mean things that just really I'm not saying they don't matter, but they don't matter nearly as much as I thought they did.

Yeah. I It's so incredible. Uh thank you for sharing that. I'd love to know how you all like plugged in to KMAN and and the impact that it's had on your life.

So, I joined uh the board about 8 years ago or so now. I had a a client of mine. I'm in the banking space, but I had a client of mine whose wife was on the board and and I had just moved back to Indianapolis uh about 10 12 years ago and uh and said, "Hey, looking to get involved, right?" And and and careful what you ask for, right? Soon as you said tell somebody, "I'm looking to looking to get involved," they uh they'll grab you. And uh I I I joined. didn't have a a real close personal connection with breast cancer. Um, interestingly, since then have um, you know, we've got really close friend who just was diagnosed a few weeks ago. Um, mama, young mama, three boys, you know, 38 years old, you know, late 30s. And as you go in this long enough, you're going to run into people. You're going to know people that that

are impact because it's so common.

It's so common, right? I mean, one in eight women.

One in eight that I was going to ask how common. One in eight women.

One in eight women, right? So, you know, we've got a small group at our church and there are six families in there and so, you know, one of them, right? And so, there's your one, right? Hopefully just the one. But, um, you know, so I think we as we go through this, you know, I got involved, you know, from a board perspective and and you start going to these events and you meet the Tammy Lisbies that are a part of this community and you just get hooked because, you know, you see them, you see that they're what they're going through, the battle that they're doing, the strength that they have. Um, and and you know what it to your point, it makes the rest of your day seem like I I can do this, right?

If they can do that, I can do this. And and so um and and if you can do that, I can help raise awareness and I can help raise money and I can help, you know, do that because I think the interesting thing and you mentioned this earlier is, you know, how different your, you know, your treatment path was maybe from somebody else. And that's one of the big things that that Kleman has helped over the last 40 years is really the diversification and specification of treatment, right? And and so whether it's, you know, the 19 FDA approved, you know, drugs that we've supported over the years versus, you know, every single person's individual, you know, pathology, what they're working on is is all different. And and so the specialization of treatment has gotten to a point where your your story is a little different than somebody else's. and and and what a unique opportunity that is.

You know, the more and more, you know, awareness that we get, the more funding we get, the more we can actually really dial into how can we help Tammy,

how can we help Karen, right? How can we help these different people?

I I love this episode already. This is fun.

Um, Stephen, how did you get plugged in?

When I first started out in my professional career, I actually worked for Simon Property Groups. Um, and I was an assistant marketing director in training. Within the first couple months of me getting into that program, the marketing director up at Muny Mall was diagnosed with breast cancer. And so I was asked as a trainee if I would go and sit in her seat while she went to treatment. And so for the next two, three months, I would go up to my two, three times a week while she went through her chemo and and all that. And um I got we laughed.

We called it I sat in the big chair. I was I was the boss of Muny Mall, marketing department of Muny Mall uh for those few months and we developed such a tight friendship and such a bond. We nicknamed her the glowworm because of the radiation and I'd get I'd get notes left to me, you know, have a good day from your glowworm and blah blah blah. And you know, I am so ecstatic to share that she survived and is thriving. And you know, here we are 30 years later. um she's still my glowworm.

But um as I started, you know, went further into the Simon and learn more about breast cancer in general. And then the opportunity came up for me to leave Simon and go to the American Cancer Society. She was my impetus. You know, she was the one in my mind. And at that point, uh right after that, my brother was diagnosed with multiple myoma, which is a form of blood cancer. And so it was like, all right, cancer seems to be my my spot.

I tell everyone there's nothing like breast cancer survivors. They are their own unique crazy looking right at you, Tammy. Goofy breed. I love them to death. They are just the energy and the strength that Ryan talks about. I mean,

we call them warriors cuz they are warriors. They light up the room.

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Now, let's get back into the episode. And it does seem to have this culture.

Yes.

You know, where you talk about like as soon as you it's it's like as soon as you got in and like got to one of those meetings and you like see you like flip a switch.

Yeah. You become you become a pink sister.

Yeah. You drink the pink Kool-Aid for sure. It's the truth. Uh which is amazing. And I think that's like such a piece of it uh that helps you not feel like you're going through it alone,

right? And that's what I say that was the most important part for me, having someone to talk to.

Where did the pink come from?

I don't think it was a Susan G. Kman thing. Um I think Susan G. Kman took it and ran with it. And what is I I think don't know if it's the truth or not, but I think uh it's because of the work that Susan G. Kman did in those first years um of expanding awareness. Um we would often joke at the American Cancer Society that you know I I wish we had the brand awareness that Susan G. Kman does um you know especially in our work in breast cancer because it was like everyone like automatically assumed when I started talking about breast cancer I was with Susan G. Kman. I'm like they were sponsored by Yo Play at one point and had a pink ribbon on yogurt and you know we'd light up the Salesforce tower pink and yada you know what I mean? Um,

yeah.

So, I think personally I think that's kind of where it all kind of got the

But all cancers have a color.

They all had a color ribbon. Yeah.

Yeah.

I don't know when that started. I always thought it was like especially when it got into like people are wearing pink in October in the NFL and like all these and it's just like I don't know if I can like pull out the other cancer ribbons like off the top of my head as quickly. I think oh yeah, pink that's that's breast cancer. I think that is the most dominant one that most

and like like you know all the little kids like when I was I don't know whatever grade it's like you get the uh fight like a girl t-shirts and the this that and the pink wristbands and the whole nine yards and it's like it was almost like it just the that culture just mostly everyone knew someone that had been affected by this one and eight. And I think that's right there one of the interesting parts when you talk about just breast cancer in general is that prior to Betty Ford coming out and and telling the world that she had breast cancer, you didn't talk about breast cancer. You know, it was the cword and you it was not proper.

What what year was that? I mean, I mean, this is always a thing, but people and I I think that people were also just Yeah. very private about like

private express, right? And and so you're like this is this is a private part.

And the and the fun part about that to me is when we do when we have the walk and I'm sure we'll get into this, but there's a a what I call the pink parade. I think actually called the parade of hope. It is.

Yeah. And um it's where the survivors all walk uh you know into the arena essentially. And we have signs that say, you know, less than a year and 1 to 5 years, but it's the ones in the back that are 45 plus year survivors. You know, they're out there now saying, "Hey, I'm a survivor and I'm proud." Back when they had cancer, they didn't talk about having cancer, you know. They didn't they had no support.

Yeah. You know, like they didn't have that.

They didn't have anything. you know, and those are the ones that when you talk about being brought to tears, when I see th those survivors and some of them being pushed in wheelchairs because they're 80s something years old,

um that's that's what makes my heart continue to want to do this is because I want to be a 45 year survivor, too. And I hope by the time I am that nobody else has to ever worry about being a survivor.

Yeah. I think the thing to add on to that um when we line up for the parade of hope it goes in order of year of diagnosis. So, our new most newly diagnosed patients lead the parade and the whole thought process behind it is what Tammy alluded to is that those, you know, one month, one week into their journey can turn around and see the 500 behind them that have survived. And I cry every year.

Every year. Imagine. Imagine. Yeah. Imagine the biggest shock to your life and it's like and we invite you out to this walk next week

and it's like you're you talk about this moment where you were just like it's overwhelming and then you get there and you're like oh like there's others that has to just be let's talk about

we always we always make it a point to go I always make it a point to go talk to the first person in the line

right because and and and they they don't want to be the first person in the line right they've been recently diagnosed this might be their first, you know, walk that they've ever been to. They're nervous. They don't know what they're doing, right? They see a sign that says, you know, less than a year. And we stop with them and we just say, "Hey, turn around, right?" and and and that parade of hope. I mean, it takes

itakes

20 minutes, right, to get 500 survivors to kind of walk through and and and you know, you've got

7,000 people, 8,000 people clapping for you and and showing the love and and we walk them right down this kind of tight corridor and uh and it it's really special.

Where's it at?

So, we are back at Military Park at White River State Park. Um after COVID we uh went over to Celebration Plaza for a few years because you know we didn't know what to expect with with coming out of CO. How many people

Where's Celebration Plaza?

Celebration Plaza is right in front of NCAA Museum.

Okay. Yeah.

So it's a small it's a beautiful spot. Um and it can comfortably accommodate about 5,000 people. So our first year or two coming out of CO it was perfect. But on that second year I was looking around and I'm like we don't fit here already. So, we moved back to Military Park, which um is where Race for the Cure was held for many years. And and that's one thing I did want to specifically bring up is that a lot of people um I I still to this day are like, "Race for the cure.

When's the race? When's the race?" It's not the race for the cure anymore. Um it is now the more than pink walk. So, what Indianapolis for 40 years had the race for the cure? It's now the more than pink walk.

The reasoning behind it is because the walk is more open, more familyfriendly. Um, we would have, you know, a certain amount of people that registered to race because they wanted that timing and the chips and all that kind of stuff and we had to charge to be a part of that because of having to pay for the timing and the chips and all that. But now with the More Than Pink walk being a familyfriendly event, you know, we don't have to pay for those expenses. So the walk is a free free to everyone. Um, we invite you to, you know, register and join us

if you want like an emotional. Is it like a Saturday?

It's a Saturday morning.

If you want like an emotional Saturday morning. Oh my. What? And when is this?

Uh, Saturday, October 4th. Uh,

all right. It's going on the calendar.

Go on the calendar. October 4th. Uh, we open at 8 8 a.m. to the general public. And, you know, I've kind of built it over the last couple years um into more I keep saying familyfriendly because, you know, we've added elements to it like a kid zone. We've added vendors. We've added food trucks. you know, it it's a a party atmosphere um that we want people to just come and hang out and just really enjoy and celebrate. And our survivors, I tell this to everyone, we love to pamper our survivors. And so, they have their own area that's called Hope Village. And Tammy and her team literally will like guard the gates to it. Only survivors and one guest can come in.

Oh, it's true.

It's true.

VIP VIP experience for our survivors.

It really is. There's a pink carpet and everything. It's it's

it's amazing. And as a survivor, you love that. You love that.

Yeah. What What kind of things are can you share with us?

Oh, please.

Sure. I mean, there's um Well, it's set up very elegantly in a tent with very beautiful tablecloths and centerpieces. It's very peaceful. Um all survivors are given a bag of goodies, which they always very much look forward to. Um and there's there's food and drink in there that is just for the survivors. And the fun part about that is is that you go in there and mingle and you are amongst your people per se.

You're amongst your pink sisters and you hear their stories and where they are in their journey or if they're outside of their journey or you know and and they're also allowed to bring a guest. And so many times that is their spouse um or sister or brother who was their caretaker. And in my case, my husband was my caretaker and he was my rock. I mean for me Derek was he was my person through that and you hear their stories other other caretaker stories and they are as involved and invested in this

as you are as a survivor.

Yeah. I would I would add you asked him a little while ago you know what's one thing that people don't really know about and I I don't think people really understand the impact that it is on the caregiver. They go through the mental and emotional stuff um just as much as as the survivor themselves, but they're hiding a lot of it because they want to be strong

for for the survivor. And I will add too, men get breast cancer, too. We don't talk about it a lot. I just heard that

Indianapolis or maybe IU is like creating a repository of men's breast tissue to help with research and like we're like the first of the first to doing that.

Yeah. So, uh the Susan Gman tissue bank at Simon Cancer uh center um great partners. Yeah. Great lead in I wanted to talk about them today anyway because they are going to have a really cool upcoming event around the WNBA All-Star game. Um, but they have been around. I'm g again I'm not a numbers dude.

They've been around for a while. Um, but their whole goal is they collect healthy ti healthy breast tissue and it's a repository and they um have that information open to researchers across the world and they are the only to my knowledge the only tissue bank that's available. They are going to do a two-day tissue uh drive right around the time of the All-Star game. and they are specifically looking for not only um they're always looking for any age of female um but at this particular one they're looking for African-American black and brown women um to donate their tissue because African-American women uh have a 40% higher rate of death than white women and African-American women don't participate in clinical trials and research as much as white women. So by getting them to be involved in this tissue collection would be phenomenal because that would give real tissue for researchers to work in.

I also learned yesterday at a meeting I was at at U Eli Liy has recently started a brand new website that you can go on to and learn about clinical trials that are available. And clinical trials are again another thing that it's a great way to try new research and to get more information out and about. and a lot of people may not consider them. Um, and so I definitely wanted to give a plug for that.

Was this trials.lilly.com?

I believe that is correct.

Oh yes, you can. Yeah, find a trial that's right for you or your loved one.

Yeah. Yeah, I literally heard about it at a meeting yesterday.

Look at that. Um, amazing. Well, one, yeah, I I just heard about the tissue collection effort around WNBA Allstar, which will be amazing. I had just heard about the tissue bank and that the we have women's tissue, healthy breast tissue, men's healthy breast tissue. Like that's it's incredible.

I do want to like briefly rewind back into as we were talking about the walk and kind of finish up this thought or the statement that really resonated with me. It's a group thing.

I remember when my mom uh her cancer had come back. This had been uh I was a sophomore in college. It was the fall semester and I remember getting the call and I think I've told talked about this on the show but you get to listen again. I get the I'm at the library. I went to Depal. Uh I get the call at the library. What's going on? And like from the jump just like knew something was not right. Oh my breast cancer's back and it's metastasized to my lung and like it was so tough.

But it's also like I can't freak out because if I freak out then she's going to freak out. And like my mom actually lived with my grandma. So it was like me, my mom, and my 90-year-old grandma. And my mom was supposed to take care of my grandma. Turns out like that whole flip thing around. So I remember like I transferred home like spent a semester in in northern Indiana like driving

to treatments and like doing all this stuff. Like I I am like a radical optimist like largely from this point in my life where you just had to have a positive attitude. And it's like and hope that that would be contagious to my mom. And it's like and like all the other survivors and the people like the the pink cult or whatever you want to say like it's great like the best kind because that energy is infectious to other b other survivors other people battling like the whole thing. It is just like this awesome community. She had a

cheage party. You heard of these? All pink. Like all of her girlfriends like bro came in. She got like a couple new wigs which she really love. Like she like walk in with red hair. I was like, "You're not red. What the?" She's like, "I can be today." Like whatever you want to be.

Exactly. Uh, and so I just like this the idea of, you know, the VIP section, but you're also bringing your rock, your husband, your sister, sp like so many people step up because I mean, if you're going to treatment, you know, twice a week or whatever, like it's a lot for a lot of people, you know, like and I think of all the resources that that are offered for cancer patients and people that are battling this from the support groups to the transportation.

Yeah. And transportation is a huge issue. Um I I mean there are patients that end up missing treatments because they cannot get transportation

especially in like underresourced communities.

Exactly. You know like we were in rural northern Indiana. We had a car like we could make but it was a 30 minute drive to from where we lived to uh go which is where we where she did treatment for a lot of it. Um but it's like imagine if you're like city bus routes or like like that's hard. M y

like I can't even like there's just extra layers of complexities that get added on here. It makes like a already very uh

it's hard to go to treatment anyway, you don't want to go.

Yeah.

So if actually getting there is also difficult. Yeah.

You're probably not going to go.

Yeah. And it's and then Oh, by the way, not only do you have to like catch two buses and this and it's like you also have to like keep a positive attitude. Oh, and you're going to feel so shitty when you get out there. Exactly. Right.

And Oh, yeah. And then you're back on your two buses.

Yeah. any any barrier to that and it's just you you check out right and say I'm not going to go today.

What are the orgs or like the the initiatives that you see that are making the biggest impact in Indiana? you know, like for for actual cancer like people that are battling breast cancer today. Like what are initiatives that you guys maybe have started or that you partner with or that you've previously funded that like, hey, did you know if you know someone with breast cancer that might be struggling with this thing, that thing or the other like they need to know about this transportation resource or this support group or like what are a few of those? Yeah, I would have to truly do shout outs to so many of our partner organizations throughout uh Indianapolis and Indiana in general. Um I have the privilege of sitting on we recently thanks to a grant from Lily again. Um they did a grant to do uh a breast health disparities discussion and brought together everyone in Indianapolis that works with uh breast health.

And so there was a uh a grant that brought together groups in three different cities cities and Indianapolis was one of them. And Indianapolis is the only group that has continued to meet to this day. And now we're in year three of this. Um and sitting around the table. Um I mean and I'm going to forget someone. So my apologies friends.

Um but we've got all the hospital systems at least sitting there with a patient navigator as Tammy said, Little Red Door, Cancer Support Community, Pink Forever, Pink Ribbon Connection. I mean everybody. It's humbling to me because we don't, like I said earlier, we don't provide those services, but I've met all of these men and women who their agencies do. And so I would say Indianapolis is blessed to have many resources um for all levels of where you may be. And uh I would say, you know, any of those local agencies are fantastic opportunities. Um I believe you can not only call the Coleman hotline to find that out, search on our website.

Do you know what like the biggest asks like or what the typical like someone gets diagnosed with breast cancer

like where do they need the most help immediately?

Finances.

Oh, number one.

Oh my gosh.

Transportation is probably number two if not equal. In fact, I mean, we've spent a lot of time over the last few months discussing transportation and how the that barrier is just ridiculous. So, I would say those are the two biggest ones. Um, and then you know, you get to the the individual therapy, the individual whatever. And to Ryan's point, it has become so much more personalized. There's now we um brought in a guest speaker last year at this time and there's a a test that has been developed that um survivors can take in their fourth year of uh treatment to determine whether or not the uh therapy that they're on will work for them in years 5 through 10, which is amazing to know definitely specifically if you genetically will benefit from this or not.

and it's a new thing that is totally covered by Medicare, Medicaid, but people don't know about it because it's so new, you know? So, like there are all these things that are that are out there. Um, and and it's overwhelming, right? I mean, like, how do you I mean, even if you had your trapper keeper from back in the day with all the information, it's all the information. even rural Indiana versus college educated north side of Indianapolis versus maybe someone who lives downtown versus the southside versus like it looks a little different for everyone like how far you have to travel what and you're talking about like financially like yes insurance and that part of it but also like what if Uber is like your way of getting transport like the finances or like the healthy the right food that you have to eat like

the stuff you have to buy like

wigs aren't Who would have known that?

Lost work, right?

That's what I was getting ready to say. You lose work.

It just like fires me up a little bit because there's so much not a little bit, a lot of it. It fires me up a lot. Um, but there's just so much. It's a lot deeper of a of a like there's just so much many parts to it than I think meets the eye.

Um, I could literally do a full like Joe Rogan episode, three hours talking to you all. We are coming close on time. As we wrap up talking about I mean the amazing work that the Susan G. Kman Foundation is doing. If there was one piece that you each would say that people need to know about when it comes to the foundation, the work that you're doing, the people that you're supporting, the people that are volunteering, what would that be? It takes a lot of money.

It takes a lot of people. It takes a lot of hands. And so, you know, from a board perspective for us, you know, as we think about, you know, what we do year in and year out, right? The the cornerstone event is going to be the more than pink walk, right? But we'll do other things, right, throughout the year. We just we did something earlier this spring, a pickle ball event, right?

Where we're, you know, dink for pink and we're out there, you know, doing doing some pickle ball because everybody loves pickle ball. Um, you know, we do a um, you know, a big wigs campaign, right? where you know somebody will will take and I was a big wig a few years ago and you know this was my uh my my pink mohawk night and uh you know you throw this on and go raise a lot of money and uh you know probably messing up the sound here but

no I love it

but you know you go out and and we're trying to find people that are influential in this community. There you go Nate. Throw that on there.

Oh yeah, we can make that happen.

We can make that happen. So yeah, this is this is the way to do it. So you you find in influential people like Nate who flip it around. You got you got your you got your uh your business in your front and the party in the back. There we go.

There you go. So So you know that's uh you know we we find people like Nate who want to go out and say look you know I'm going to use my connectivity in this community and the people that I know to go say hey I know the Tammy of the world. I got friends. I've got a mom who you know who went through this and somebody that says you know what I I want to spend some of my time talent and resources to be able to go support an organization like this. So, um, we do things like that, like a big wigs campaign. Um, we'll do and and so the point is we we try to do things that, you know, different ways that people can interact, right?

If you're a cyclist later in the fall, we've got uh something called tour to commen where there's a 100 mile bike ride from Fisers all the way out to Teroot, right? Where we'll have 75 to 100 cyclists that are, you know, in fullon Kleman gear, right? And kind of like the tour to France, right? and but tour to kman um we you know somebody on our board you know his mother had passed and and so you know he he did this to say this is how I want to give back and so we try to find different ways for people to get involved uh along the way and and and raise awareness because you know like I said more and more making sure women are going to get their mamograms going early right it's becoming earlier and earlier in life as well I mentioned the woman who's in her late 30s right and and typically they would say you know don't go start getting mammograms till you're 40 And you know if had she not gone and done that or done a self you know exam might have missed it.

So I I think making that awareness you know for everybody is is super important.

And speaking of the board I know that there are some opportunities for people to be involved. What do those look like?

Yeah. So um you know we've got a board of about nine people today. Um trying to get that up to closer to 15 is kind of our goal. So we've got people on the board you know we've got a couple bankers, we've got some lawyers. We've got some you know someone from Lily. we've got, you know, somebody from um, you know, a a real estate background. Um, but, you know, honestly, at this point, we we just want people who, you know, who are passionate about, you know, about the cause, right? And and somebody who is connected in their community and feels like they can um, you know, bring bring a perspective. Um, and for us, you know, whether that's somebody um from a a medical background might be helpful, right? and and so we like to bring different perspectives to a board, you know, so that we're we're well balanced. So, opportunities for that.

If you out there are interested in some board work, how can they get plugged in?

Yeah, give uh reach out to me, Ryan Randolph, and we'll put some information on here. I know Nate Nate will probably flash something up here for us.

Yeah, we'll make it happen.

We'll make it happen. But yeah, reach out to us u and we're happy to get you involved. We meet a few times a year and and you know, I will tell you um you know, the other way you could do it, come to an event, right? Um, I always tell people on October on October 4th, uh, in the morning. Yeah. Cut come out to Military Park October 4th. I will dare you not to want to get involved after after you go through that and see and see the survivor, you know, parade of hope.

Well, I don't want to cut Tam's thunder short. I don't know what she's going to pick, but um, your your breakfast.

Yeah, we have a survivor breakfast, I think. Have we done it two years now? Yes. Two years. This be the third year. And it happened about a month before the walk this year. It's September 6th. and it is a breakfast for survivors. Um, I'll have to put a shout out out to Yama Lama and Big B Coffee who take care of of the food and the and the drink for the event. But it is just a bunch of pink sisters that get together. We have breakfast. Um, you have fellowship with them. We take pictures. Just a time to be together. And it really does ramp you up for the walk. I mean, you really are are ready for the walk at that point. And you want to be with all of them. and spend your time with them. And I have to say, we were talking earlier about pink being the cancer breast cancer color. I was never a pink girl ever.

That is shocking.

I was never a pink girl. Um, pink was just not my color. Um, but starting in 2017, it quickly became my color. And now a lot of things about me are pink. You know, my tattoos, um, my, you know, my breast cancer tattoo. And I mean I'd say 80% of what I wear now is pink. I have pink hair in October. I mean it's it's all pink all the time with me.

Yeah.

Um but that is that is part part of what joins you in this sisterhood because even at the breakfast

people come in in all pink. You you take pictures like I was just looking at pictures of the breakfast from last year and I mean everything is pink. It's like everything is is pink and it is a be it's a beautiful color to me now. It's a beautiful to see all my fellow survivors come together with their pink on. I mean it is everything from pink hair to pink tutus to pink everything. So the breakfast is something that any survivor I think would want to come to and be a part of because we also have guest speaker there sometimes and it's very interesting thing but it's just a lot it's just a lot of camaraderie.

Yeah. And that's September 6th. So, if you are a breast cancer survivor and you want to hang out with your fellow Pink Sisters and Tammy, where's that at?

It is held at Brower Plaza, which is at 2960 North Meridian Street.

She's got she's got dates, times, addresses. Oh,

it happens to be my husband's office. So, his his office um donates the space.

Um and we usually start around 9

around 9:00.

Yamal lama. Spectacular food, too.

It is spectacular food.

Very very good. Yes. And that's the building that they operate out of as well.

I love that. Okay. September 6th, October 4th. Those are the dates to remember. Don't forget them. Uh round us out, Stephen. So, I would be remiss if I didn't invite everyone to come out to the More Than Pink Walk. And um you know, take the next step, register to actually be a participant, be a walker, be a a team. Um we have so many corporate teams that come and do it together uh as a team building exercise and and a way to just, you know, come together. Um, you can find all the information at comman.org/indianapolis and that has all the information for the walk itself, plus it has the link to register to come to the breakfast. So, you go to that one website and you can get both events taken care of.

Tammy, I would love to know what was your treatment day. Did you have pregame rituals? What got you pumped up? Like, did you have like a song? I had to have AC/DC playing when I was rolling in there.

Well, I didn't know I did not have anything like that. My treatments um were always at like 7:15 in the morning. Oh no.

Yeah. So, no, I really didn't have a ritual, but I can tell you that I always made sure that I had a piece of pink on me somewhere. Um always. And I always had uh my mama's uh cross from her cross necklace with me.

That's amazing. Uh we were uh number one hits of the 80s.

Oh yeah. We would just like I could give you all of them word for word like a we had a on CD

CD. Yeah.

So we would be rolling rolling the 80s hits just like Bob like going in there like we're about to f some stuff.

We do uh we do back in black with my son before we go to soccer games and stuff AC/DC. Right. But we need to change that to Back in Pink.

We need to rerout.

Absolutely. Like it just get you go in there and you're like I am here. Like you kick open the door a little bit like we're ready to rock today. Uh, we're going to talk a little bit about Indiana. Obviously, this is the Get In podcast. We highlight places, you know, we're talking about Yamal Lama or other spots. Is there a spot in in Indiana that that each of you love? So, I'm going to ask uh we'll start with Brian. What is a hidden gem in Indiana?

Yeah. So, um I was talking with my wife about this last night because I said, I got I need a hidden gem. And and one of the things I would say less hidden, but something we love to do. So, go to Newfields, right? and you go to New Fields, go to the the art museum and they have this great little patio out there with uh with some food that you can get. You can sit out in the gardens and stuff. We did that for Mother's Day uh earlier this year and and it's just our favorite spot. Go find a Sunday afternoon and go do that. So, um I would say less hidden, but um but a great way to spend an afternoon.

Like Ryan, I also talked about this with my family. Um I was like, these are the the required questions I'm going to have to answer. Um we live in Noblesville. Love it. We've been there now for 11 years. I don't know how hidden it is anymore, but Forest Park in Noblesville uh has always had the train that does like Easter train, Christmas train, etc., etc., but in the last two years, they've added rail cars uh that you can ride actually on the train tracks and and my understanding is it's four people on a car um and they ride up and down. My son, my oldest son works there and so he was like, "It's sold out every day. Like you can't walk up and get tickets. You have to pre-book it.

Wow. What is this?

So it's a rail car. So you're like pedaling.

Oh, I have seen these

on the track. On the trackual track like the the nickel plate something or other. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I've seen those. Those are pretty cool. Wow. Okay. Get your That's a good one. I like that.

Dam.

Mine would be um and I told them a few days ago V's ice tree. I don't know if I'm surp I'm surprised people haven't heard of this. It's V A Ls. Um, and it is this massive ice sculpture um that is created by a nearby pond. U the pond is right next to it and they literally spray pond water in January to create this huge eye sculpture. They put coloring in it and it is just it's massive and it lights up at night.

This ice tree.

This thing is crazy.

Yes. And it's it's there in usually Januaryish.

That's it up next to the house. Yes.

Wow. It's amazing. feels eyes 6445 Mimosa Lane. Count me in.

And it's literally a person. It's a person's home and land. And they have a pond right next to it and they create this huge ice tree and it lights up at night and it's gorgeous.

Tammy, you say people come and like they'll like the cars all line up.

Mimosa Lane, I guess is what it is, is like just lines of cars. You just you just park on the side of the road somewhere. Isn't it amazing?

Yeah. They have 31,000 followers on Facebook. Like this is a spot. It's one of my favorite things in the winter.

I've never heard of this before. This is Sorry, gentlemen. This is a hidden gem. That's why we started here.

It's awesome.

I love that. Um Tam, I do have another question for you. We're just going to put this just to one. This is our younger years segment. It's brought to you by our friends or fellowship. They're a great organization here in Indiana helping develop young business leaders across the state. So Tammy, what advice would you give to your 22-year-old self?

Don't sweat the small stuff. Um, you can do hard stuff. Life is going to give you a lot of speed bumps and you can do it and you don't have to do it on your own. There's people you can help. There's no shame in asking for help and there's no shame on leaning somebody when leaning on somebody when you can't walk yourself. If people out there are listening, whether they may be they might know someone who's been impacted by breast cancer or you know they they just have heard this episode and are interested like what what what's your call to someone like why they need to get involved with the Susan G. Kman Foundation.

I have a 14-year-old granddaughter. I don't want her to have to deal with this. I don't want her to have to worry about it. I don't want her to have to hear, you know, one in eight because by then it could be one in six. It could be, you know, I don't know. I don't want her to have to worry about that. And clearly, it's obviously in my family. This this disease needs to go away. It just needs to be eradicated. Much like my shirt says, cancer sucks. And and it does.

I just am very very grateful for you all coming on and spending an hour and 15 minutes with me this morning. Uh the work that y'all are doing is just so incredible and inspiring. in October 4th, I'm really charged up about the more than pink walk. Um, and it's something that it is unfortunate, you know, one in eight people are affected. The ripple effect of that, you know, one in eight women experience breast cancer, but I would say eight of eight know someone, you know, like I don't know if you know a person that is like hasn't someone a friend, a family, a loved one, you know, have been affected by this terrible disease. So the work you're doing funding research and helping people that might be uh going through their own battle.

It's from someone who uh our our family was very affected by this. Uh I commend you all for for doing the hard stuff and for building up this community as well like hosting the breakfast and you know being fired up having a team for the walk. 35 people coming to Tammy's Tat Trotters. Come on let's go. Um, I just think that like the attitude that breast cancer, that community brings

is so infectious.

It's like nothing I've ever experienced.

If you need something, if you're going through one of those parts in your life and you need something to pick you up, like go spend time there on October 4th and be around these people who are experiencing the hardest of hard things and the attitude they bring and see this hope of parade of hope. Like, it just gives me chills and I get fired up thinking about it. So, I'm just very very grateful for you all and the work that you're doing. Thank you for coming on. If people do want to get plugged in, whether it be board opportunities, signing up, volunteer, what can we do? How can we help?

Yeah, I would say the easiest if you are feeling the passion that you're feeling right now, send me an email. Um, suntcommen.org. I'm sure Nate will also put it across the bottom of the screen, but I would be more than happy to go to coffee, go to lunch with you, talk about what your passion is, what you like doing, how we can plug you in. Um, because it's a it's a fight that involves us all. And going to your earlier point, they know someone that they don't know that they know because

someone may not have told them. I'm like, there's no way today

today that you don't know someone.

Yeah. And people might I mean that's like a it's personal. It's personal. You don't

and that's a really interesting point to bring too is that survivor not all survivors are like Tammy. They're not loud and proud a lot. It's a personal thing and so we respect that. If if you're not loud and proud that's fine but we want to be there for you.

Yeah. I actually this is slightly off topic but a similar topic. I actually found out so the guy who like founded or like cured testicular cancer is from Indianapolis like like is the guy who treated Lance Armstrong and like all these people found this one specific I don't know the whole thing about it but is in Indie

I think is like Larry or something I can't remember don't quote me on that someone could comment and give me the whole thing but uh Reddit he has his own Reddit thread where guys come together and like talk about who treated them for testicular cancer and all and I'm sure there's something like that for for women with breast cancer where it's like if you're not loud and proud, I'm sure there are resources that maybe if you know someone that like doesn't want to be that it's just more private about it like there are resources for them to see. There are communities like cuz I know there's this one for testicular cancer. I'm definitely sure there's one for breast cancer where there are people fighting and wanting this community even if they don't want to like show up to a breakfast. There's also these online places for people to find uh their tribe. Yeah. That's kind of a tangent, but thank you all.

I appreciate you coming on. Um, if they want if people want to connect with you all or get plugged into anything, we have to email. Uh, we'll talk about board opportunity type stuff or the breakfast September 6th/ TheWalk October 4th. I appreciate y'all. Keep up the great work and we'll talk soon.

All right. Thank you.

Thanks for having us.

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