Here for the Girls would like to spotlight a new community partner, Sister’s Thrive.
“Founded by lifelong Houston resident Felicia Pichon, Sisters Thrive is committed to educating Black women on the importance of early detection of breast cancer and caring for themselves after diagnosis. In August of 2021, Pichon was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer. After the pain of two surgeries, plus receiving the bills from those procedures, Pichon decided that no one should do this alone. As a wife of 28 years and mother of five children, Pichon realized that the burden of a breast cancer diagnosis could crush a family or bring them to the brink of bankruptcy.
“Not only do women not survive breast cancer, but marriages, friendships and bank accounts also become a causality of the disease,” Pichon said. “With the community coming together to support this event, Sisters Thrive is poised to change women’s lives in the great city of Houston.”
Less than a month after her second surgery, Pichon committed herself to creating a nonprofit to equalize the healthcare disparity and increase survivorship rates of Black women, especially those in Harris County.
Black women are 40% more likely to die from a breast cancer diagnosis than their counterparts because of late-stage diagnosis. In Harris County, home to Houston, TX, and the third most populated county in the nation, every other woman that dies from breast cancer is Black.
On top of that, breast cancer brings an increase in financial difficulties, including:
- 67% increase in financial problems for those without insurance;
- 42% increase in financial problems for minorities;
- 37% of individuals make at least one work/career modification due to a cancer diagnosis; and
- 27% of individuals report at least one financial hardship, including bankruptcy, debt, etc.
Sisters Thrive encourages Black women to embrace the changes necessary to learn the skill set to thrive and not just survive in the face of breast cancer in four ways: providing financial assistance, organizing support groups, engaging in advocacy, and hosting quarterly wellness retreats. Importantly, Sisters Thrive is dedicated to empowering Black women dealing with breast cancer to take charge of their mental health.”
References
Link to her website: Sisters Thrive Link
Services offered: events such as Sisters Thrive (Glamping) Wellness Retreat December 2023