For the Breast of Us is giving Women of Color a new way to experience survivorship
For Marissa Thomas, the work was never just professional. It was personal long before it had a name. As co-founder and CEO of For the Breast of Us, she has spent years building something she wishes had existed when she needed it most, a community where Women of Color navigating breast cancer feel seen, supported, and never alone.
A diagnosis that sparked a movement
Thomas was 35 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time, finding other young Black and brown women in the same situation was nearly impossible. “I couldn’t find any other Black and brown women who were young and diagnosed like myself,” she said. “I know I’m not the only one out here.” That certainty pushed her to connect with others online, including a young woman named Jasmine who had also been diagnosed.
Together, they created a space where women of color could share resources and talk openly about their experiences. What started as an informal online community grew into a full organization, one Thomas describes as a direct response to the losses she witnessed along the way. Women she had met online, diagnosed around the same time, were dying. She wanted to change that by getting those voices into the rooms where treatment decisions were being made.
BaddieCon brings survivorship to life
That mission now takes shape every year at Breast Cancer BaddieCon, a patient advocate experience Thomas calls more than a conference. The event runs today through Sunday, May 17, at the Atlanta Evergreen Lakeside Resort, drawing women from across the country and internationally, with attendees traveling from Nigeria and Switzerland.
The programming covers clinical topics like genomic testing, clinical trials, and treatment options, alongside conversations that go far beyond medicine. Dating after a diagnosis, body image, permanent makeup, and scar rejuvenation are all part of the agenda. “How do you date after being diagnosed with a disease like breast cancer?” Thomas said. “Lots of different topics.”
Reimagining what survivorship means
This year’s theme is Survivorship Reimagined, and for Thomas, the framing is intentional. Survivorship begins at diagnosis, not at the end of treatment. For women living with stage 4 breast cancer, treatment never ends. That reality means survivorship looks different for every single person, and BaddieCon is designed to honor that. The goal is to give Black and brown women the tools to define survivorship on their own terms rather than accepting a version of recovery that was never built for them.
Part of that redefinition includes softness. Thomas described the experience of going through treatment as moving through a valley of darkness, head down, just trying to get through. Coming out the other side, many women are expected to simply return to normal. “But normal for you isn’t the same anymore,” she said. BaddieCon creates space to sit with that reality and move through it with care.
Early detection starts younger than most people think
Thomas is direct about when breast awareness should begin. She recommends that girls as young as 12 or 13 learn to do breast self-exams and understand what their bodies normally feel like. For the Breast of Us runs a monthly campaign called Feel It on the First, encouraging people to check not just their breasts but also their neck, collarbone, and underarms on the first of every month.
Any changes, lumps, discharge, or skin differences should be reported to a doctor right away. “You’re in your body every single day,” Thomas said. “If something feels off to you, you should make that decision on whether you need to tell your doctor.”
How to get involved
For those looking to support the organization, donations can be made at breastofus.com or through zeffy.com by searching For the Breast of Us Foundation. Funds go directly toward programming, workshop materials, and helping women attend who otherwise could not afford to, especially in this economy.