A Letter from DeBorrah Carter

Founder

Dear Sassy Survivor Reader,

Welcome Home!

That is the feeling that I have as I write this letter to you. It has been some months since my last communication, and a lot has transpired in all our lives. So Welcome Home!

I prayed that God would enlarge my territory as Jabaz when he cried out to the Lord in 1 Chronicles 4:10. God answers prayers. Sassy Survivor Breast Health Alliance has been blessed to help several women, and not just in California. God is faithful to do what He says He will do. We must also do our part as we exercise our faith.

Enlarging our territory for Sassy Survivor Breast Health Alliance means, the Need for Advocacy is Greater than ever before. The Need for Navigators is Greater. The Need for Board Expansion is Greater. The Need for Financial Resources is Greater. Overall, the Needs are Greater!

As we enter 2026, what did we learn in 2025 about Black Women and Breast Health? What did we learn about Black Women diagnosed with Breast Cancer? Where do the numbers stand right now?

2025 did not tell us “Problem Solved.” It told us that the gap is still real, and in some ways, it’s widening – but we’re understanding why with much more precision.

Sassy Survivor Breast Health Alliance had a “God Anointed” year. I met women of incredible courage and indomitable spirits. I met men who want to learn more and be supportive of our journeys as well as organizations who are advocating for us. I met physicians, clinicians and scientists who are taking deep dives into research and are committed to improving the outcomes of Black women diagnosed with Breast Cancer.

“In this edition, we’re unpacking key insights gained over the past year—and my hope is that you feel equipped and inspired to drive meaningful change within your own ecosystem: your family, your friends, and yourself.

Sassy Survivor Breast Health Alliance remains steadfast in supporting you every step of the way.”

We have an exciting year ahead of us! We are working on a Breast Health and Breast Cancer Awareness Expo for later in the year. We have an oncologist who is putting together a focus group. There are many opportunities, so I invite you to reach out.

Finally, I want to leave you with the same reminder I share often: “Let’s stay intentional about nurturing our bodies, our minds, and our spirits. Get your mammogram! Let’s recommit to eating nutritionally, staying active, and deepening our walk with God. Surround yourself with a circle of faithful friends—or even one trusted confidant you can reach out to in your midnight hour. Breast cancer brings its own mental and emotional weight, and even if you haven’t received a diagnosis, you may be navigating challenges of your own. I encourage you to lean into community, seek someone you can trust, and connect with those who will stand with you in prayer.”

Abundant Blessings,

DeBorrah

Questions? Email SassySurvivorBHA@gmail.com

Sassy Survivor Breast Health Alliance is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Tax Exemption #86-2424532.

Donations: Zelle – SassySurvivorBHA@gmail.com

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Checks can be mailed to: Sassy Survivor Breast Health Alliance –

1249 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. #346 Diamond Bar, CA 91765

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Sassy Survivor Breast Health Alliance is a Non-Profit 501(C)(3) Organization
Donations help to provide services to Breast Cancer Patients and Survivors.

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A Dedicated Survivor.

I had the wonderful opportunity to spend some time with Dr. Robina M. Smith, an Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon, at St. Jude Heritage Group. I was riveted by her story and the decisions that she has made to be where she is today. Dr. Robina (as I like to call her) started her college experience as an Art Major. During one semester, she had the auspicious opportunity to meet a doctor and graduate of the medical illustration technique penned by Max Brödel, the creator and founder of the first Medical Illustration School at Johns Hopkins in the early 1900’s.

Dr. Robina’s career took a sharp turn. Dr. Robina, having a love of science and a gift for art saw the opportunity to combine her two talents and decided to become a medical illustrator herself. Next turn, while observing a surgery of which she was to sketch an illustration of, she was so fascinated by the surgery, her sketch was never completed. When asked by the instructor why her sketch was not completed, she replied “I was too busy.” Further queried, she said she was too busy observing the surgery to sketch the surgery. On a trip to a clinic where she observed a reception room filled with African American women waiting to be treated and no doctor who looked like them, she prayed and the Lord affirmed her choice. But there was another twist. About a month before Dr. Robina was to enter medical school, she was in a horrific automobile accident. Her car was run completely over by an 18 wheeler tractor-trailer. No one who saw the accident expected anyone to be alive. Her car was completely crushed. But God! There was one little pocket of space inside that completely crushed and demolished car, where the future Dr. Robina Smith was curled up! Angels had surrounded her because they knew the mission and purpose that had been laid out for her. She told the Lord, “I know why I was spared and I know what I am to do.” Hence the world has been blessed with this doctor who places God first, seeks His guidance and wisdom to save and restore women’s bodies and esteem that have been impacted by Breast Cancer.

Her years as a freelance Medical Illustrator and Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon has given her an unusually broad base experience with which she can effectively communicate, diagnose and remedy a woman’s complex problem.

She currently is the only fellowship-trained Breast Surgeon at St Jude Medical Center and the Physician liaison to the Commission On Cancer from the American College of Surgeons. She holds membership positions on the American Society of Breast Surgeons, American Society of Breast Disease, Society of Black Academic Surgeons, Association of Woman Surgeons, Association of Black Women Physicians, Cambridge Whos Who and The Denise Roberts Breast Cancer Foundation. She received her Bachelors of Fine Arts at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Medical degree from MCP-Hahnemann School of Medicine, Surgical residency from New York Methodist Hospital, and Breast fellowship from the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr. Robina founded Treasure Your Chest, Inc. a nonprofit organization that educates and brings awareness of the risks for Breast cancer and breast disease for African American women. If her plate wasn’t full enough, she still had room to be the co-director of the Women’s Health and Fitness Ministry at Antioch Church of Long Beach. Dr. Robina is full of God’s love and His compassion as I have been blessed to witness myself. She is a God-fearing woman with passion and compassion for helping and healing. Anyone being blessed with her presence can see and feel her love for the Lord and her love for helping women through their journey with Breast Cancer. Never too busy to educate, she is an accomplished speaker and presenter.