Last Day To Shop At The Rod Ryan Show Cares Boobs Rock & Kick Ass Store

Every year we can donate funds to M.D. Anderson that were raised through our Boobs Rock & Kick Ass campaigns. Our goal every year is to support cancer RESEARCH through sales & donations. Thanks to everyone who has supported this great cause. Thank you to our amazing partner, BMP, for the printing and designing of our merchandise and up keep of the online store! 

SHOP HERE!

Here's the email from Kelley that sparked the conversation:

Rod / Tessa / Teresa,

Super loyal listener since I moved to TX in 2008! I'm going to apologize for the long read, but I promise it is worth it. 

I love what y'all do for breast cancer awareness and supporting the super important research going on. I thought we, as a society, discussed it enough, but I think the under-40 crowd doesn't realize how common it has become in really young women. I, unfortunately, am part of that emerging statistic. I'm a 36-year-old mom of 3, and found a lump several weeks ago that felt nothing like all of the education describes, and I had no other symptoms that would raise a significant concern. Honestly, had it not been for my boyfriend, I probably would have blown it off. You look online, and it says only roughly 10-15% of all lumps are cancer, especially under 40, so it gives a false sense of security... Long story short, I did get it to check, and before I could blink, I was being fast-tracked into MD Anderson for scans and tests, and now will start a very aggressive treatment plan on 10/17 (I know, happy BC awareness month to me) because I have stage 3 triple positive invasive ductal carcinoma. By the time I discovered it, cancer had spread into the local lymph nodes. I am so thankful to be so close to MDA, I am lucky the type I have has many well-proven treatment options, and I am lucky that I have medical insurance because, holy crap, cancer is expensive. However, a routine mammogram most likely would have detected my cancer in earlier stages and required a lot less aggressive treatment and a smaller risk of metastasis. I now have about 18 months of chemo, surgeries, radiation, reconstruction, etc., and then I will be on therapies for hormone suppression for the rest of my life. 

I am not sure if this will get to you guys, but if so, I'd love for it to make the 20s and 30s crowd more aware that it is possible to get breast cancer this young and it is becoming much more common. Younger women tend to have their cancer diagnosed at later stages because mammograms don't start until 40 and we aren't conditioned to check as vigorously as needed. Anything that feels out of place, any swelling, any strange arm / armpit / finger pain, any skin changes - just go get checked out. If it feels off to you, advocate for yourself! 

Please feel free to share this story on air (maybe without my name please lol). Happy to provide as many additional details as needed if that helps! 

Thanks for listening!

Kelley

Local Breast Cancer Survivor Sits Down with Tessa

Shoni Powers is a long-time listener who moved away from Houston in 2014.

She came back temporarily to undergo breast cancer treatments at MD Anderson for her second round of breast cancer.

She was originally diagnosed in 2013 at the age of 32 and purchased a “Boobs Rock” back then. Since then she has educated herself on ‘pink’ items and the importance of purchasing items that truly support research.

She was thrilled to hear the proceeds for the “Boobs Rock” campaign go straight to research and specifically MD Anderson!

The Rod Ryan Show Cares Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping and assisting those in the Houston area through the generosity of our listeners.

• Rod Ryan - CEO, President, and Executive Director
• Hal Lynde - Director

It all began when I moved to Houston back in 2004. I instantly was amazed by the kindness and generosity of our listeners. One of our first big events was a fund-raising drive for the Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami in early 05. I could not believe how people came forward to donate money to aid people halfway around the country. Then came the startup league HODA (The Houston Dodge ball Association) raising money for local causes such as Texas Adaptive Aquatics and The Houston Furniture Bank. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit my adopted home of New Orleans and I knew we had to do something. On August 29, I watched the city I love go under water. On August 31st The Rod Ryan Show went on the air at 6am like we do each day, but this time we stayed on LIVE until Friday September 02, 12:00 Noon. 54 Hours straight broadcasting live; raising just over $504,000 for Katrina Relief (The area code of New Orleans is 504). Our listeners’ generosity had me hooked on continuing to help others for as long as I held a position to do so. My second adopted home of Houston, TX was hit by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. As the water rose in our neighborhoods, while I was evacuated to a hotel room working on a laptop, we created our Houston Strong Campaign. Once again, our listeners came through BIG, this time to help our own! For 12 years we have been with Houston Children’s Charity raising money to purchase and stuff backpacks for area children. Our amazing listeners have donated over $900,000 for this cause.

There have been countless Tournaments, Cook offs, Fundraisers, Derby Races, T-Shirt and Drumstick sales over the past 17 years to bring our total to over 3 Million Dollars Donated. Again, All from the generosity of our Amazing Listeners!  

There have been many Awards, Plaques, Certificates, and Presentations over the years, but none higher than on May 14th of 2013 when the Mayor of Houston Proclaimed it Rod Ryan Show Day in the City! We share each and every recognition with the Best Listeners In The World. The Rod Ryan Show Family!

This is the 12th year we are working with MD Anderson raising money to give to our adopted team headed by Dr. Anthony Lucci.