What if you know something is wrong, but you feel dismissed by doctors?
When Maimah Karmo discovered a lump at just 32 years old, she refused to ignore what her body was telling her, even after being dismissed by doctors because she “didn’t fit the profile for breast cancer”.
In this conversation, she reflects on being dismissed and how being a young Black woman shaped her experience. She also explains why that diagnosis became the catalyst for a lifelong mission to help other women find their voices in their own healthcare.
Together, Tes and Maimah discuss trusting your instincts, the realities of healthcare disparities, and why asking questions can be just as important as finding answers. It’s a conversation about resilience, purpose, and refusing to accept “you’re fine” when you know something isn’t right.
On February 28, 2006, at 4:45 p.m., Maimah was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. She had no family history and was 32-years old. While undergoing her second round of chemotherapy, she made a promise to God that if she survived, she would create an organization to educate, empower, advocate for and support young women affected by breast cancer. After her second treatment, Tigerlily Foundation was born.
Tigerlily provides breast health, educational, empowerment wellness and transformational programs to young women, and works to end disparities of age, stage and color. A first-generation immigrant from Liberia, who has experienced disparities first-hand, she is a leader in the women’s health field, creating and implementing national health initiatives for women and girls, with a goal of eliminating disparities of age, stage and color.
Under Maimah’s leadership, Tigerlily Foundation has launched national and global health initiatives focused on ending disparities, through the #InclusionPledge, partnering with global stakeholders, with a call to action to recognize health disparities as a social justice issue; and working to end disparities for black women in our lifetime. In 2010, Maimah published Fearless: Awakening to my Life’s Purpose Through Breast Cancer. In 2018, she published the “Badass Girl’s Book of Prayers”. She recently published Divine Downloads: Transforming through Trauma, followed by Unicorn Boss, in June 2020.
Most dear to her heart is her 20-year old daughter, Noelle. Noelle and Maimah dote on their Morkies, Honey and Sugar
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. If this conversation resonates with you, you may also enjoy our episode with Sara Hirsh Bordo, where we explore the connection between trauma, self-neglect, and autoimmune disease.
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This episode used the following music: Time to Shine by tubebackr & Popsicles https://soundcloud.com/tubebackr https://soundcloud.com/popsiclesmusic Creative Commons — Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported — CC BY-ND 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://www.audiolibrary.com.co/tubebackr-and-popsicles/time-to-shine Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/Cvbjhx6X4ZY