Houston Women’s Nonprofit Supports Breast Cancer Survivors Year-Round –

Doctors who diagnosed Lyndsay Levingston with breast cancer on the age of 37 modified all the pieces. It was a moment, now that Levingston is on the opposite side, and he says it was a blessing. It was while battling stage 2B triple negative breast cancer that she was inspired to start out her nonprofit SurviveHER.

“The diagnosis … really forced me to look at life differently,” Levingston said. “Who would have thought that a breast cancer diagnosis would change the trajectory and course of my life? But I’ll have to be honest. It was a very blessed diagnosis because I was at a point in my life where God needed to shake things up, and he did, but it was all for the better.”

Levingston founded the nonprofit organization in October 2020. SurviveHER goals to tell, encourage and empower breast cancer survivors and people supporting them. Organizers educate women by hosting events and workshops with doctors to show them in regards to the signs, symptoms and risks of breast cancer. The organization also strives to be honest and create an area where women can share their opinions about women undergoing treatment. There can also be an empowerment pillar by which organizers and volunteers charge women to schedule mammograms and make breast health a priority.

“The work we do is about saving women’s lives. We teach, we help and we really serve the community,” Levingston says. “(For women), breast cancer or breast health is not even at the center of their concerns; this is where I feel like we are really making a huge difference.”

What’s next for SurviveHER

Levingston said she is currently in talks with several local policymakers about regulations regarding testing for triple-negative breast cancer, which is probably the most aggressive type of testing. It also focuses on 12 months-round breast health education, especially among the many Black community.

“If you have a family history of breast cancer, I recommend starting mammography 10 years before your family member is diagnosed,” Levingston said. “The sooner you start early detection and prevention, the sooner you can start treatment if a positive diagnosis is made.”

SurviveHER doesn’t just give attention to women. Levingston is launching a brand new men’s initiative, SIRvivor, to bring men into the conversation.

“Men are not exempt from breast cancer,” she said. “Men should look for discharge of blood from the nipples, stains on shirts or underwear, and check the tissues.”