Komen Grants Money To Oklahoma Project Woman

This year Komen Tulsa granted $545,000 to four Tulsa area agencies to help patients in the fight against breast cancer. One of those agencies is Oklahoma Project Woman and without their services, many patients wouldn't have any place to turn.

Patients like the woman I'd like you to meet. Marianna Pierre is grateful for each day to spend with her daughter Mary and granddaughter Dassah.

Marianna she looks at life differently after being diagnosed with breast cancer. In April of last year, Marianna found a breast lump and it turned her life upside down.

"The first thing that went through my mind was this is cancer and now what am I going to do. No insurance, didn't know how this process worked. It was just completely lost, now what?" said Marianna Pierre.

After searching the Internet, she connected to Oklahoma Project Woman, a Tulsa organization that provides low cost or no cost help for patients dealing with their breast health.

Maya Betz is the patient navigator and the first person Marianna spoke with.

"A big part of it is just really helping them see the situation more manageably and to step in there and let them know we can help them get the appointments they need and get it paid for just really letting them know its ok and things are under control," said Maya Betz.

Oklahoma Project Woman is one of the local groups partially funded by Komen Tulsa, money raised at the race is granted to organizations like this to help patients in Tulsa County.

As it turns out, Maya is a breast cancer survivor herself.

"Such encouragement to say you know that not this happened to me a year ago but it's in my past and even though this is just swallowing your world right now, there will come a day when life is about better things again," said Maya Betz.

"That time is such a devastating time and your emotions are everywhere and you can't think. Maya held my hand and she made my first appointments for me and got me set up until I was in the system and one doctor would say now do this, now do this. Without her, I don't know how I would have gotten through that. I don't know," said Marianna Pierre.

Marianna and her family are making a special card, as a way to say thank you to Maya and Project Woman for giving her hope.

Seventy-five cents out of every dollar raised during the Komen Race for the Cure, goes right back into local programs like Oklahoma Project Woman.

The race is coming up Saturday, September 15th at OneOk Field.

You can form your own team or you can join my team. Log on to newson6.com.