Episode 97: Visiting with Ronda Guyton of Peoria and her story, “Living Out Loud”

                                    SSPP ep. 97 RONDA GUYTON
 
Ronda Guyton, a stage four breast cancer survivor, shares her inspiring journey and the story she shared onstage in Peoria on The She Said Project Podcast, as she continues to live life to the fullest, pursuing her goal of visiting all seven continents.
 
ANNOUNCER  00:00  Raising women's voices one story at a time. Welcome to The She Said Project Podcast.
[Music: The She Said Project Podcast Theme]
 
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JENETTE JURCZYK  00:27  It is always a good day when I get to hang out with my friend Kerry Rossow in the studio for another episode of The She Said Project Podcast.
 
KERRY ROSSOW  00:34  Amen and amen. This is so fun. I love doing this.
 
JENETTE  00:37  This is really one of the highlights. I'm Jenette. I'm National Director of The She Said Project. I get this incredible opportunity to direct shows all across central Illinois now and work with women as they share their stories. And Kerry Rossow, you get to just pop in here
 
KERRY  00:50  Yep
 
JENETTE  00:51  and just, you know, you're the icing on the cake.
 
KERRY  00:53  I've heard that before.
 
JENETTE  00:54  That's what he said... she said,
 
KERRY  00:57  whatever.
 
JENETTE  00:57  But I'm really excited for you to meet our guest today, because she's in one of those cities where I got to work with them this year. I don't even think this is one of the shows that you were at. So this is like a new friend.
 
KERRY  01:07  It is a new friend. And I loved... I watched her piece in it. It took me off guard. It made me laugh. It made me hold my breath. It was sort of, it was the whole kit and caboodle.
 
JENETTE  01:17  One of your favorite things you always teach me is when a woman can talk about something hard,
 
KERRY  01:22  whoa, whoa.
 
JENETTE  01:23  When a woman can talk about a hard topic, Kerry, and make us laugh, because life is ridiculous and all the things, and Ronda has that gift, so I'm really excited, if you let's just bring her on here. Ronda, are you on the line with us?
 
RONDA GUYTON  01:35  I am. I am.
 
JENETTE  01:36  Oh my goodness,
 
KERRY  01:37  hi, Ronda.
 
RONDA  01:38  Hello, Kerry. How are you?
 
KERRY  01:40  Oh, my gosh, I'm so excited because I watched your piece and it was just so many of my favorite elements when I listened to pieces, and like Jenette said, you were able to just hit all of the feels. It was, it was a roller coaster of, I didn't even know how to sort of dub it like, you know, sometimes it's like, oh, clearly, this is a heartfelt one. Clearly, this is a funny one. Clearly, this is, you know, whatever yours, yours, you just hit everything. It was great.
 
JENETTE  02:04  Hits a lot of notes in her living out loud. And Ronda, from getting to know you working on that show, you do live your life out loud. There's, I mean, there is no alternative for you.
 
RONDA  02:14  You know what, being stage four, I decided that I'm not telling myself No. And I do mean, listen, literally, live my absolute best life, like I'm not leaving nothing. My kids ain't getting nothing right now,
 
KERRY  02:14  They're on their own. Okay? So wait, so back this up. So how, before we get to your story, how did you get connected with She Said?
 
RONDA  02:40  I got connected with Nikki Romain through ART Inc. in Peoria. So she contacted me, and she knows I've been living my best life, which means I am seriously on the go all the time. I'm trying to see every piece of this world, my quest to get all seven continents. And so she let me know a year in advance, this is this a day and you're there. I put it in my calendar. As we were talking, I was like, You're down. I'm building my trip around you.
 
JENETTE  03:07  Please put us into your travel schedule.
 
RONDA  03:09 Yes
 
JENETTE  03:10  To our friends who are joining us on the podcast and haven't met Ronda or seen her performance in That's What She Said yet, Ronda referred to her stage four. So trigger warning, we're having a hard conversation about breast cancer today, and I think Ronda is going to make you realize that there is so much to be grateful for in this world. She has certainly opened our eyes and our hearts and we love every second we get with you, girl.
 
RONDA  03:31  Oh, thank you. I appreciate it. But you know, the goal is to let people know that no matter where you're at in this life's journey, specifically when someone gives you a time limit that you can live. And that's, that's the key, for me, is to make sure that everyone is that you can live. You can have fun, you can joke about this crazy disease and be okay.
 
KERRY  03:51  Well, I think we need to let everybody else in on it. Let's, this is what a 52 year old says: 'Let's go to the tape.'
 
JENETTE  03:57  Yeah, let's roll it. So, Ronda, we're going to play your audio from your performance, because there's no better way to explain what you experienced and how you got to this point than by sharing your story with our friends. So we'll come back and we'll learn more about where Ronda is today. But to catch you all up, let's enjoy her performance in That's What She Said Peoria 2024 and her story, Living Out Loud. Please enjoy Ronda Guyton!
 
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(recorded March 2, 2024 at The Romain Arts & Culture Center, Peoria, IL)
 
RONDA GUYTON  04:21  Let me tell you a little bit about the woman standing before you. I am a fatherless girl from the projects with a mother who suffers from mental illness. I grew up with poverty and homelessness. I endured rape and incest. I told someone like we are told to do. No one did anything. No one heard my voice, no police, no counseling, just pretending.
 
04:47  I got pregnant at 13, no one cared. I had to figure it out. I got on public aid. Every month I would receive $192 in cash and $303 in food stamps. I stopped going to school. Parents did not want their daughters to play with me anymore. I was labeled as fast.
 
05:10  I could have turned out much differently. The system I grew up in was not designed for me to dream the American dream, but I dreamed anyway. I never gave up. I was determined to make sure that my children would never experience what I had experienced, that they would never know homelessness or having the lights going out.
 
05:34  I beat the system. I was a feel good story. I joined the Army Reserves. I got my bachelor's degree. I had a career. I landed my dream job. I no longer was eating hand to hand. I bought a house, the first of my generation to do so. I had a husband. I could take vacations. I found joy. I was now in a position to help others.
 
06:01  From the age of 16 on, I have opened my home and heart to those in need. I kept dreaming bigger dreams. After all the abuse and trials I overcame, I was the conqueror. I wanted more. I grew vain. I could not be content with what I worked so hard for I got greedy. My inside personality was full of confidence and joy and laughter. I was unsatisfied with what my body had become. I wanted my outside to match my inside.
 
06:35  I worked hard for it. I lost the weight, but I still wanted to feel good in a bikini for my big 40th birthday bash in Miami,
 
06:42  I went for breast enhancements, a tummy tuck, but I think God used my vanity against me. Instead of getting the boob job, I was diagnosed with stage zero breast cancer, so instead, I got a whole double mastectomy and free boobs. Iwasn't required to have any other treatments, and my survival rate was 90%
 
07:09  I was 39 years old, and I have to admit, I did not take care of myself. I was not doing those self breast exams like they tell you to do. If I had done so, I would have noticed the change in my breast. I learned that minority women are at a higher risk of late stage diagnosis. There often isn't enough information on preventative care, financial assistance or increasing minority survival rates. 
 
07:33  I knew I could use my story to help raise awareness. I needed a platform. I picked up the phone and I called Susan G Komen of Peoria. They followed my story and shared every step during their Buddy Check 25 News segment. (You know, I ain't never been shy.)
 
07:53  I continued working with Susan G Komen to encourage more minority women to learn about breast health. For my 40th birthday, we hosted a mammogramathon to encourage at least 40 women to get their diagnostic mammograms.
 
08:06  Two women I personally knew were diagnosed with early stage breast cancer because of this event, and we know that early diagnosis equal longer life expectancy. It brought me so much joy to use my voice and my story to help other women.
 
08:21  I even started Living To Serve Foundation in 2013 to increase awareness of women's health by providing programming, resources and education.
 
08:30  But my story wasn't over. I continued to chase vanity. I had not learned my lesson. I had several implant changes. I joined a study that would give me the new teardrop effect. I wanted to look fabulous, no bra. Standing ovation at all times. The perfect set.
 
08:55  For two years, I was living the dream, and now I had all this knowledge on breast care, I was feeling myself all the time, and then I got a call and a letter.
 
09:08  Apparently, my new showstoppers could cause cancer.
 
09:13  Well, I had options. I could either take them out completely and go flat chested, (y'all know that wasn't happening) or I can get a new set for free.
 
09:23  I chose the option to take the fat from my stomach, I know it don't look like it, and make some new boobs. I figured I can't get cancer from my own fat, and I can get a tummy tuck for free. (Come on, y'all.)
 
09:40  I ended up having four surgeries, weekly stays in the hospital, several infections, and then the world went on lockdown.
 
09:48  What a mess.
 
09:50  Of course, I continued filling myself up, and I started to feel several lumps in my left breast and two in my right breast, I was told continuously that it was something called fat necrosis, but the lumps were growing.
 
10:04  I was not going to settle for their opinion that it was fat necrosis. My intuition was telling me something, and I insisted on getting an MRI. But before my appointment, I got really sick, and I had to go to the ER. They did a CT scan and found two cancerous tumors in my spine.
 
10:22  I'm like, what?
 
10:24  November 2021 my world turned upside down. First, you know us. We're going to have us dead in seven days. After multiple tests, I was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. Due to the aggressiveness of my cancer, it was suggested that I would have three to five years, but they have seen 7 to 10 with aggressive chemo treatments. I endured 5 months of intravenous chemo, 36 rounds of radiation.
 
10:52  Chemo was rough, and I lost my hair. I cried about losing my hair. Radiation, for me, was worse than chemo. When I finished my 36 rounds, the doctor said, we need to see you in four months. No Doc, I ain't coming back.
 
11:07  Chemo was rough for me. So much for vanity. I lost my left breast. My right breast tends to rest under my right arm. I'm learning to cope with how it all turned out. I was so determined to have the perfect breasts and now one of them is a prosthetic. Now you know where it's at, sitting at home on the shelf.
 
11:35  I was going to bring it with me, but Nikki (Romain, producer) said, You are not going to be walking around on this stage with a prosthetic breast. Sorry y'all.
 
11:46  At first, I thought God was using my vanity against me in all of this, by taking my joy away, but when I look back, it was actually my vanity that led me to my first diagnosis, and when I opened up about my journey, I was able to help others do the same, which gave me joy.
 
12:05  My story is still not done. No one was meant to be here forever. It is what you do with the time you have here.
 
12:12  In the past 24 months, I have traveled to Egypt, Greece, Ghana, Paris, Jamaica, Mexico, Dubai and the Bahamas. I went on four cruises. I mourned the loss of my hair, but for my 50th birthday, I owned it and celebrated in St Lucia anyway.
 
12:37  I was told not to travel. But y'all know, I'm hard headed. If I'm leaving this earth anyway, I am going to enjoy the time that I have to the fullest. I have chosen to live out loud, unapologetically, transparent, and joyful.
(applause)
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JENETTE  12:55  It is really hard to describe the joy and the humor and the heartbreak that you experienced in such a short amount of time, Ronda, it's a lot. How are you feeling today?
 
RONDA  13:08  You know what? Honestly, it's so crazy that you even ask about today. Let me put this disclaimer out there. Live your best life, but don't do all the things that Ronda does, because Ronda does not always listen to her doctors. Okay, so that is the disclaimer. Don't do everything I do. Okay, I took a break off of the chemo. Chemo sucks. Okay, I have to take it every day. I'm on pills now, which you've heard in my story. I did five most intravenous but now I'm on a regimen where I'm taking chemo pills every day. And I am on my quest to get all seven continents. So I was going to Asia, and I was doing Indonesia and Thailand, and I did not want to be sick while I was globetrotting, so I chose to stop taking my chemo so that I could really live and show out. And I did show out. Let me tell y'all show that while I was gone. So I just started back taking my chemo yesterday, and today I feel like crap, but every day, I choose joy, and I'm still having an amazing time, and I've got six continents out of seven, so I'm good.
 
JENETTE  14:12  Only one more to hit.
 
RONDA  14:14  And that's Antarctica!
 
JENETTE  14:16  Oh, and do you have a plan? Do you have a plan to get there?
 
RONDA  14:19  Oh, yeah. Oh, absolutely. I have a plan. I am doing a yacht cruise with my son because my husband said, Baby, I love you, and you know, I do, but what I'm not going to do is go to Antarctica in the cold and play in ice with you.
 
JENETTE  14:33  I love you, but
 
KERRY  14:35  there's always a but
 
RONDA  14:38  I mean, there's a limit, but it ain't a limit, but that's the limit. So my youngest son, who's 24 was, like, we got it. That's okay. So we're gonna do a Polar Plunge too. Yeah? He said, "mom, you can't swim." I said, listen, they gonna give me a life jacket. They gonna tie a rope around me. I'm gonna jump in and all y'all gonna pull me out. Polar Plunge complete.
 
KERRY  14:58  That's a good plan.
 
RONDA  14:59  Yeah? Yeah, so hopefully March 2025, is when we'll be going. I'm excited about it. And then after that, I don't care what happens. I can be sick and laid up in the bed. I don't care once I get Antarctica
 
KERRY  14:59  yeah,
 
RONDA  15:12  I've hit the pinnacle.
 
JENETTE  15:13  Kerry, do you feel like you live your life to the fullest after listening to Ronda?
 
KERRY  15:17  Well, 20 minutes ago, I did, and now I'm like, Wow, I'm just wasting away over here. Oh, my goodness. In Ronda we trust.
 
JENETTE  15:26  We do. And what I'm taking away is your perspective. Anyone who's received news that you've received could choose to look at this world and a whole lot of woe is me and a whole lot of pity going on. And I'm just so blown away by your perspective of living your life to the fullest. Ain't nothing gonna stop you. I'm sorry to hear that you're not feeling well today. I mean, that does suck. I'm empathetic for you, like this is your truth right now, and you got to do what you got to do, girl.
 
RONDA  15:52  I set myself up for this sickness because I could be my regular sick and not that. Like I'm starting brand new with chemo again, type of sick. I knew what I was doing, but I think I forgot a little bit about how funky it was to start over. And, you know, Kerry, I It's so crazy, I just want to get this out and stop me at any time, honey, because I can talk about this today. You know, when I did what she said, Jenette helped me out a lot on how to frame and give my story and tell it in a way that just brought joy to people, even in the circumstance of No, you know what you're going to die in the next three to five years, you know? And it's like, you hear that, it's like, huh, and you're laughing? So she helped me portray that so that people knew that I'm not dying, I'm living
 
KERRY  16:38  wow
 
RONDA  16:39  And there's a huge difference between dying and living, right? And I'm choosing to live. And I want people to know wholeheartedly that no matter what you're going through, no matter what kind of disease that you're fighting, that you literally can choose to live. You can have a day here and there, but you can stay in that day. And people heard my story before were like, You cracked us up. It was funny, but we got it. I want to be able to have that joy. I want to be able to find something that I love and just shoot for it and just live the way that you're living and not wallow in it. And some people will say, Oh my gosh, you're such an inspiration. And we love the way you storytell. But it's life. I don't know how you say it's a story. It's my life. I like to have fun, and I don't want it to stop.
 
KERRY  17:27  I love that you're inspiring and not in a finger waggy way like, you know. I love that you talk about vanity and how that led to so many different things, and you're willing to show, not just the like, 'And for $9.99, you can be as awesome as me,' but you share the whole thing like it's honest. It felt so genuine and that you were just honestly saying, this is just my story, and that's what made it so inspiring.
 
RONDA  17:52  Thank you. Yeah, my vanity was crazy, and I still struggle with that, which is so crazy. You think I would be completely over the vanity thing, but I find myself here and there, and I'll look at the scar, because I don't have a left breast, and I look at it, and then, you know, I look at this prosthetic, and I was like, you know, I could go back out here and be a showstopper again. I go back and forth. Am I living in my truth if I bring out this prosthetic?
 
KERRY  18:15  I love that you left it at home.
 
JENETTE  18:17  I love that. Yeah, one of the best lines ever. In fact, I think I quoted you the other day. It was, I was talking about stories to our new she said, sisters who are working on them, and like how real and raw, and like for you to just stand there and be like, you know where my boob is today. It's home on a shelf, and it's just so raw. You were brilliant that night. Absolutely. You brought us all to laughter. You brought us all to tears. And I remember vividly, like you shared at the very beginning of your story the hardships that you come from. I mean, you did not come from all love and roses, and it was tough. And for you to have this outlook on life, even before all the breast cancer, you made some serious choices about who you wanted to be in this world. And I remember you telling me how immediately, as soon as you could you brought others along with you. As soon as you had a home, you turned around and welcomed people in your home. As soon as you had financial stability, you turned around and helped others who were struggling. Like any time you achieved something, you were immediately reaching backward and pulling everybody else along. Like that is who you are. And I don't know if you can learn that. If that's just innate part of you, that is a lesson to be cherished right there.
 
RONDA  19:28  You know, I just have this unique perspective of what I went through. You know, as you listen, I talk about my mother being bipolar schizophrenic, you know. Talk about not meeting my father until, you know, I was 13 for the first time, and not again till I was 21 he died, and I didn't go to his funeral. I think I shared too that, you know, when I got cancer the first time, I was like, God, after all of these things that I've been through, you know, being sexually abused, having a mother dealing with mental illness, not having a father figure in a house. Now you want to get me. Answer is this the relationship we got? God, I need us to start over. Can we press pause? And he had a different plan. He said, There's something else I need you to do. There's someone else I need you to inspire. There's some work that I need to be done. I need some light shed on this disease. And who else? Why not you?
 
KERRY  20:16  What was the feedback you got after the show? Did you hear from people you didn't expect to hear from what did you hear back?
 
RONDA  20:22  You know, a lot of people were just like, you amazed me, and it's hard to accept some of that. Sometimes it's just like, this is just my truth, right? I don't and I don't know any other way to tell it. But, you know, I had a lot of I loved your story. It was inspiring. I didn't expect anything less. And other people was like, I've never heard your story told that way, because I've spoken at different things, and they're like, I think I heard you say that. But this was different, the way that it was projected, the way that we were able to come together and tell these stories, just felt different for people. And it was just received so well. And believe it or not, people still like, oh my gosh, you were good. I love that. I saved my, you know, my card, and I got the, you know, I check it out on YouTube, and I showed somebody else. So I think it did what it was supposed to do. It's supposed to bring joy, it was supposed to encourage, inspire, all the things that what She Said is supposed to be about, is what I think was able to be portrayed, not just from my story, but from others also,
 
JENETTE  21:21  yeah, that was a beautiful cast you got to be a part of with such variety of stories. I mean, it comes together in this one night of just laughing together, crying together, just being real, right? And I hope you found some awesome friendships out of that group, because they are some really incredible people
 
RONDA  21:37  Yes, it was great. I definitely would not change it. And the relationships, like you said, that was brought from that has been amazing. You know, we check in on each other. Happy birthday to you. We've, you know, we've had lunch since then. We got to get together. You know, it's probably me and why we haven't gotten together as many
 
JENETTE  21:53  well, no one can keep up with your schedule. This is not the first time, this is not the first time I tried to get her on the podcast like I was emailing. She's honey. I'm in Thailand. I'm not available. She's been at globe trotting, for sure, you did share that your first thought was, I am going to broadcast this to the world. You reached out to Susan G Komen. You offered your story from day one. Let me tell the story. And I mean, that is so brave, and I'm glad that they were receptive to that. Are you still in touch with them? Do you still do work with them?
 
RONDA  22:28  I do. I do. I am part of their circle of promise group. And so, you know, we really push for mammograms. We put on shows. We speak at different events. We work the pink Sunday whenever they need someone to speak at something about what they do or how I've benefited. I am all and Susan G komen Peoria, because that's all I know has gone out above and beyond for our community, if we you know they have so many resources. If they need someone to clean your house, if you need a ride, one of us, ladies or someone else, we're going to give you a ride to the doctor. We're going to be there for you. I'm still very much active. We meet once a month with our circle of promise group. They have been a huge supporter for me. Every time I'm doing an event, I call and ask was like, hey, what information do you currently have? What's new that I don't know about that I can share with the community to make sure that we are continuously staying informed with all of the different changes with medical and finances. It's a great journey with Komen.
 
JENETTE  23:30  I can't imagine how many mammograms you have inspired women to go out and get and how many lives you know your story has saved. Stories save lives. Kerry, there it is. That's the work we get to do. By far, you sharing your story has inspired others to go get the girls checked out and, you know, get that early detection and get that treatment.
 
RONDA  23:38  One of the things that Komen and I do when I first got diagnosed, and I literally had not known a half hour before, I called Komen and said, Hey, I just got diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in phase two.  You know, I was like, I had to spell it at the ask me to spell it for me. And I said, for my 40th birthday, let's have a, what we called at that time, a mammogramathon. And literally, we were doing it every single year from the time that I got diagnosed. And the statistics continued to stay the same. One in eight women was diagnosed with breast cancer. So the women who were on that ma'am band with us literally were being diagnosed with breast cancer. Women have said, You saved my life. Literally, they said this on the news. They've sent me text messages because they were coming every year to our mammogramathon, which we call Sisters Rock now, and they get their testing done. The statistics have not changed.
 
KERRY  23:40  Wow, that's amazing. You're like, you're like, the boob-ologist.
 
RONDA   24:42  I like that.
 
JENETTE  24:45  I was going with boobspiration?
 
KERRY  24:49  No, don't be a boob
 
JENETTE  24:53  I was a little bit blown away when you said that, you know, the statistics. But then here you are in real time, like in a real scenario. And bringing these women in for these events, and it's still one in eight. One in eight. That is, that is shocking.
 
RONDA  25:05  It is crazy, because we keep talking about awareness, awareness, awareness of life, but I don't know what to do. Well, I know in the minority community, we're still dying at a higher rate than any other ethnicity because we still have this fear. Yeah, we're still not using terminology that we should be using. For example, you know, we always talked about, you know, Grandpa got that sugar well, he don't have sugar baby. He got diabetes. Let's call the thing a thing. So, you know, we have some of that, then we have this thing of not being able to afford it. I literally just got my letter yesterday saying that my insurance through some grant that I received is going to cover me for another six months. Like, literally
 
JENETTE  25:39  You needed a grant to pay for your therapy.
 
RONDA  25:42  Yes, wow. I took screenshots. So on my Living to Serve Foundation page, I've posted screenshots of what my monthly chemo. This the chemo feel we're not talking about any other medication that I have to take with this chemo. Well, just one of my pills is like $16 grand after the deductible is like, $4800 or something like that. And then this grant covers that
 
JENETTE  26:04  $4800 after insurance. Wow.
 
RONDA  26:08  So I'm responsible for $48 I was like, baby who got $48 a month? Like, I'm gonna have to strip for that. And that's the way my body
 
KERRY  26:15  Hey, hey, listen,
 
RONDA  26:18  Whatever, baby, I've been looking to get $25
 
JENETTE  26:21  So there's a taker for everyone. I'm just saying I want you to talk about your foundation one more time so that at least we can link to it.
 
RONDA  26:30  Okay, so the Living To Serve Foundation, because you should see our new website is gorgeous. So yes, the living to serve Foundation, we work to increase awareness of women's health by providing them with programming, resources and education. So whenever we find out about a woman that's going through, I try and visit them. If they're local, we give them a journal, because it's great to get it out, because sometimes, if we share what we're really thinking, y'all gonna lock us all up, or you don't think we're gonna go jump off the bridge. And that's not it. We just need to get shit off our chest, right? And then, you know, we send them a little change, something that they can go out to lunch or breakfast, or they can reach out to us, and we have mammo tops. The hospitals are doing a better job now. They have stuff that ladies can use, so we don't make as many as we did before, but we had mammogram tops that we you can wear, and they just dipped up because you can't raise your arm up, and your tubes can sit in these little pockets that we had on the inside, but they have some new stuff out that the hospitals are using. So yeah, that's what we do. And we hold an annual sisters rock event every year where we have people come in and talk about finances, and we have people talk about mental health, and then we do something fun for ourselves, like this year, in April, we're going to make bath bombs, because you know what, ladies, sometimes we need to relax. Life is stressful, so we do something every year for people, and then we just reach out and love on folks. So yeah, [url=https://livingtoservefoundation.com]https://livingtoservefoundation.com[/url]
 
JENETTE  27:49  On top of all of that, on top of her telling her story and inspiring women to get mammograms, she started a nonprofit. She started foundation to do all this wraparound service, amazing, making the world a better place, you are living every single inch to the fullest.
 
RONDA  28:05  I'm so excited. And we just celebrated our 10 year anniversary that he deserves. It was great. We were at the Peoria Riverfront Museum. We were able to raise $25,000 it was an amazing an amazing event. So that the way the community came out and loved on us. It was unbelievable
 
JENETTE  28:22  Just phenomenal. You were just phenomenal. From the moment you got diagnosed, you looked outward. How can I help others? Boom
 
RONDA  28:30  I literally was driving in my squad car when the radiologist called me and told me, and when he said it, I was like, Baby, I don't know what that is. I need you to spell it, break it down for me. And he did, and I sat my car, and I was going to meet my partner to get some paperwork, and I was on Arlington in the projects that I grew up in. I was born and raised in Harrison homes, and I'm literally a block from the Harrison Homes, going to meet my partner. So how crazy is it that I get this diagnosis driving being a police officer, something I've always wanted to do. And I get this call, I pull over for a second and I'm letting it digest. I mean, my partner, give them the stuff, I call my husband, and then I call Komen. They were the second or third call. That's what it was supposed to be. That's why God designed it.
 
KERRY ROSSOW  29:11
Wow.
 
JENETTE  29:12  When you grew up after all this that you've been through, what was your career of choice, police officer, serving, serving the community you grew up in
 
RONDA  29:20  28 years and three days,
 
JENETTE  29:22  We are so honored and proud to just be part of getting your story out there and paying it forward and helping more women go get tested and live, live their life to the fullest.
 
KERRY  29:30  I thank you for ourselves, but also for so many people that you are making this not so scary and you're making us laugh while getting the squisherooney and thank you so so much for everything you're doing and making it attainable and making women feel more comfortable about doing it well.
 
RONDA  29:46  Thank you for the opportunity to share, because the more we collectively come together as women that have a platform to share, this is how we're getting it out. So together, we win
 
JENETTE  29:57  Any last words of advice for our listeners?
 
RONDA  29:59  To live your best life. Make sure you're doing your monthly self exams and
 
JENETTE  30:05  Kerry! Not now, not here.
 
KERRY  30:06  Sorry, sorry
 
RONDA  30:07  Yeah, And once you turn 40, make sure you're getting your diagnostic mammogram. Do those exams. So many people find them on their own, so please take care of yourself and live your best life. Choose joy every single morning.
 
JENETTE  30:23  Well, I don't think we could say it any better than that. So Ronda, thank you so much for joining us today on the podcast. Thank you for sharing your story. And That's What She Said. You are beautiful, and I cannot wait to see pictures from Antarctica.
 
RONDA  30:35  Oh yes, yes, yes, yes,
 
KERRY  30:37  We'll be here cheering you on.
 
RONDA  30:38  Thank you. I appreciate you so much ladies.
 
JENETTE  30:41  Love you so much, and thanks to all our friends for joining us today on The She Said Project Podcast.
 
KERRY  30:46  Over and out.
 
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[Music: The She Said Project Podcast Theme]
ANNOUNCER  30:51 Thank you for listening to The She Said Project Podcast in partnership with Illinois Public Media. All materials contained in the podcast for the exclusive property of The She Said Project and That’s What She Said, LLC. For more information on our live shows go to [url=https://shesaidproject.com]https://shesaidproject.com[/url]
 
This podcast was made possible with support from Carle and Health Alliance and presented by Sterling Wealth Management, empowering women to live their best lives.