Ronda Brunson found a lump while in the shower in August of 2022 when she was 40 years old.
“Breast cancer impacts you financially, emotionally, spiritually, romantically, psychologically,” she said, reflecting on her heart-wrenching experience.
A breast biopsy procedure revealed that Brunson had Stage 0 (early stage) estrogen positive breast cancer, but in the end, she opted to have a double mastectomy. Brunson was an uninsured, self-employed business owner. Paying for tests out of pocket led to a large insurance company classifying her as having a preexisting condition. By the time Brunson did have health insurance, her breast cancer had progressed to stage 2.
“The only reason I had to do chemotherapy was because they found a small amount of cancer cells in one of the three lymph nodes. I did four rounds of the ‘red devil chemo,’ which is the most difficult chemo type, and I did eight rounds of Taxol. I denied radiation,” she said.
A double mastectomy followed the day after Brunson took the initiative to start a nonprofit called Tata Tuesdays. Everyone who participates in Brunson’s organization is described as a “her.”
“You’re a survivorher; a warriher; a grieveher, a supporther; a caregiveher; or a preventher. A preventher is someone that takes their breast health seriously, stays on top of their breast health and gets their breast exams. So, everybody has a place. Because of that, we are the ‘prep station’ for the just in case your story changes. You’re already around us. You’re in the network of love. You already know we got your back,” said Brunson.
Photo credit: VS Davis Photography
A peer matching aspect is in place when and if “breastfriends” need it. Brunson further explained that women in the nonprofit’s sister circle includes everyone from those who are going through breast cancer treatment to individuals who have been told that they are breast cancer free. Brunson does not want others to face breast cancer alone.
The author, entrepreneur, and nonprofit founder knows the various facets of breast cancer firsthand, including physical and financial aspects. Brunson lost her health insurance and exhausted her savings.
“Because I was a high-income earner without dependents, health insurance cost me too much to maintain. So, I created financial relationships with my doctors to pay out of pocket. Their rates were better that way. I paid for all my breast cancer testing,” Brunson shared.
A nurse practitioner and friend of Brunson’s read her test results to help the brave woman who battled breast cancer when she was uninsured. Brunson located a surgical oncologist through Google, then visited him for her first appointment. He confirmed that Brunson had breast cancer and then assembled a care team when her cancer stage was very low.
Brunson stated that she applied for “ Obamacare insurance,” but her claims were not covered by the first insurance company that had accepted her. Brunson found herself returning to an insurance broker to find another company.
She choked back tears while noting that her mother said that she “had to go through these things because God needed something.”
Brunson revealed that a partial reason that she created the Baltimore-based “TaTa Tuesday Network,” and #breastfriendsunite on Instagram, is because it is often difficult to communicate with friends who do not understand the intricacies of having breast cancer after a woman is diagnosed.
Brunson is also the creator of a game called ‘Boobs N’ Bingo’ in 2024.
“I created 600 bingo cards by hand that help women explain their breast cancer process to their friends,” Brunson explained. “Each round has vocabulary words and comes with suggested questions or statements that go along with the phrase so that you can convey it. Then, everyone can stop and have conversations.”
Brunson said that technically, she is cancer-free but says that very cautiously. She remains diligent by staying on a regiment to keep cancer away.
“I’m on medicine for at least the next 10 years, and maybe even the rest of my life.”
She added, “I need women to take me seriously. Once cancer enters your body, it can hide. Breast cancer is the most difficult cancer to speak of. I’ve seen women in remission for 15 years and boom, it’s back! Or it can even return while you are still taking medication.”
Brunson said that going to breast cancer screenings is important, but listening to your body is also critical.
Find Boobs N’ Bingo through www.breastfriendsunite.com. Learn more about Brunson, and her nonprofit via https://tatatuesdays.com.