More Than Survival: How Carrie's Touch is Helping Black Women Thrive After Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Did you know that Black women have the highest breast cancer mortality rate in the U.S.—a staggering 31%. That’s 42% higher than white women with the same diagnosis. And here’s the cruel twist: While we’re less likely to get breast cancer than women of other races, when we do, it’s often deadlier and more aggressive.
Why? Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)—a ruthless subtype that tests negative for estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 proteins—disproportionately targets Black women. Unlike other forms, TNBC resists common treatments, making survival an uphill battle.
But here’s the good news: Knowledge is power. Understanding these risks arms us to demand better screenings, push for early detection, and challenge healthcare disparities. This isn’t just a statistic—it’s a call to action. Let’s beat the system, together.
Rev. Dr. Tammie Denyse: A Warrior in the Fight Against Breast Cancer Disparities
Seventeen years ago, Rev. Dr. Tammie Denyse received a life-altering breast cancer diagnosis—and a wake-up call. Learning of the shockingly high mortality rates for Black women, she refused to stay silent. What began as a college project soon ignited a lifelong mission to save lives, one that would evolve into Carrie’s Touch, the groundbreaking support group she co-founded with her late sister, Lynne Rankin-Cochran.
As a 17-year survivor, Rev. Dr. Tammie knows the battle firsthand—and she’s dedicated her life to ensuring other Black women don’t face it alone. Her journey started at St. Mary’s College in California, where a community service requirement became the spark for change. Determined to spread the lifesaving power of early detection, she targeted the heart of her community: Black churches.
Her first campaign? Distributing fans with breast self-exam instructions in seven Sacramento Valley churches—each one featuring an African American woman from Susan G. Komen and the “Ribbon of Life”, a symbol of resilience. For Rev. Dr. Tammie, representation wasn’t just a detail—it was a statement.
“If we want Black women to pay attention,” she believed, “they need to see themselves in the message.”
She didn’t just drop off materials—she showed up, sharing her story in every pew, every pulpit. The response? Overwhelming. Women listened, learned, and began taking their health into their own hands. But when the project ended, Rev. Tammie realized: This was only the beginning.
Teaming up with her sister, she transformed that momentum into Carrie’s Touch—a lifeline for survivors, a beacon of education, and a fierce advocate for closing the racial gap in breast cancer outcomes. Today, her work continues to echo one unwavering truth: Knowledge saves lives, and no woman should fight alone.
What truly changed the game is the new Survive and Thrive App, launched by Carrie’s Touch in their 15th year of operation. Carrie’s Touch recognizes that we as black women are burdened by a number of factors regarding our health. Some of these issues we face include a lack of adequate support, lack of financial and material resources, lack of doctor-patient trust, lack of awareness and data and lack of education about breast cancer and its various symptoms, treatments and side effects.
Survive and Thrive’s purpose is inspired by Rev. Dr. Tammie’s personal experience with a breast cancer diagnosis, and her commitment to support more Black, Indigenous, Women of Color, and to humanize their experience with breast cancer.
She revealed that her aim is to create a clearer pathway of communication and understanding between patient and doctor through a more comprehensive picture of the whole woman, not just her diagnosis.
Some key features of the app include:
The “I WAS JUST DIAGNOSED” Page which offers an easy “Start Here” option for new survivors.
Meditations, affirmations, journals, and reminders created for Breast Cancer Survivors.
Support groups, videos, financial resources, oncologists of color, free/low-cost therapy, and other resources.
This app is available on iOS devices and provided for free by Carrie’s Touch.
https://www.carriestouch.org/mission-credo
https://www.surviveandthriveapp.com/
I love what this Black woman is doing for our community. We no longer have reason to fear the unknown or expect the worst, because there are people like us working tirelessly to ensure that we are well educated and prepared for every fight that life confronts us with.
