By: Jameka Haynes, Owner
Humanity Centered Strategist | Empowerment Coach
Bold Conversations Consulting
October turns the world pink, ribbons everywhere, fundraisers, and community walks. Breast cancer awareness matters significantly. Here is a BOLD truth: Awareness alone is not enough. Survivors are not simply their diagnosis, and they are not meant to be reduced to medical charts or battle stories. They are whole, vibrant, and multifaceted human beings.
Behind every statistic is someone who is more than what cancer tried to take from them. The woman who fought through chemo and still showed up to cheer at her child’s soccer game. The friend who survived surgery and still throws the best dinner parties and is a hostess with the mostest. The dad who balanced radiation treatments with teaching his daughter how to parallel park. These stories matter because they remind us that survivors are not defined by their hardest chapter. They are dreamers, leaders, caretakers, and yes, even fantabulous chaos-coordinators.
So how do we show up differently? By choosing to see survivors beyond the pink ribbon and practicing the BOLD approach:
- B – Be genuinely curious: Ask about what makes them laugh or dream.
- O – Open your mind: Respect that no two journeys look alike.
- L – Listen without agenda: Let them guide the conversation.
- D – Drop the assumptions: See them as full humans, not categories.
This is why we have to elevate our humanity. Too often, when we meet a survivor, we only ask about treatments and side effects. But what about their love of gardening? The joy they get from going to a cardio dance class? The poetry they write when everyone is asleep? Survivors want what all of us want, to be seen for their fullness. See them beyond just being a fighter, but as people with quirks, passions, humor, and brilliance.
Let’s also recognize that for some, the journey is harder. Some survivors worry about paying for mammograms while others juggle rent, medical bills, and jobs while fighting for their lives. Some are trying to leave unsafe relationships while also navigating treatment. Equity matters because dignity and care should never depend on income, insurance, or zip code. Programs like Iredell Health System’s Mammo Mondays, Mecklenburg County’s BCCCP screenings, and Duke Health Imaging Lake Norman are critical, removing barriers so more lives can be saved. When we shift our perspective, we don’t just honor their survival, we celebrate their wholeness.
BOLD Reflection Questions
- Do I truly see the survivors in my life beyond their cancer?
- Am I honoring their full humanity, not just their hardest chapter?
- How can I elevate my support so it uplifts who they are, not just what they endured?
Call to Action
This October, let’s not stop at pink ribbons, but be a little more intentional and ask more humanity centered- questions. Celebrate the whole person because survivors deserve more than awareness, they deserve to be seen, honored, and uplifted in their full humanity.
Jameka Haynes is a Humanity-Centered Strategist, Certified Life Coach, and founder of Bold Conversations Consulting. With 30+ years of leadership across nonprofit, luxury retail, philanthropy, and civic engagement, she is known as a fearless catalyst who creates brave spaces where people stop performing and start transforming. Through strategy, storytelling, and bold conversations, Jameka helps leaders and teams dismantle division, spark awareness, and build belonging.
