breast cancer

Cosmo Evans sits on their couch on Saturday, April 6, 2024, at their apartment in Columbia. Evans, a neurodivergent, nonbinary, intersex disabled Army veteran, grew up in a small, conservative, rural Missouri town in the mid-90s. “I remember growing up and like seeing the women's rights rallies—and seeing other gay protests and seeing how far they had come—and then seeing so many bills go through to support gay people and women. And then all of a sudden now we're losing all of these rights that we had worked so hard for, for gays and women. And, like, what is happening? I feel like there's so much history repeating itself right now. It's really scary,” Evans said. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they explored their queerness and began embracing their nonbinary identity. Although Evans’ mother passed away more than a decade ago, they said she had long been their fierce supporter, and they speculated on what their mom’s reaction would have been to their coming out. “She would either be so excited that I'm gay, or she'd be so disappointed that I did not marry a doctor because I remember her always telling me, ‘I want you to marry a doctor,’” Evans said. “I also think that she would be just so elated that I'm gay, that that's what I truly feel like she would be.”

KBIA News

Gender affirming care would 'prevent any possible future breast cancer chances since I'm high risk.'

Rebecca Smith

Cosmo Evans is a disabled veteran who’s nonbinary and intersex. They spoke about their access to medical care that both affirms their gender and benefits their physical health.

"We have work to do, we have communities to lead, and so we don't need breast cancer to be standing in our way."

Anna Spidel

Katie Manga is the CEO of nonprofit organization Gateway to Hope, which provides support to breast cancer patients, survivors and anyone impacted by breast cancer or in need of breast health services.

Missouri News Network

Columbia City Council ups surveillance to assist law enforcement

The Columbia Missourian

Columbia residents turned up in force on Monday evening to voice their opinions about a proposal to install cameras capable of reading license plates and — critics allege — potentially much more.

KBIA News

Missouri Department of Health partners with nonprofit to expand breast healthcare access

Anna Spidel

St. Louis-based nonprofit Gateway to Hope will work with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior services to connect more Missourians with breast healthcare services.

Afternoon Newscast for June 23, 2023

Anna Spidel

A roundup of regional headlines from the KBIA Newsroom.

Arts and Culture

Paul Pepper: Dr. Nicole Nelson, Columbia Surgical Associates, Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Travis McMillen

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. DR. NICOLE NELSON, Columbia Surgical Associates, tells us about some of the warning signs in both women and men,…

Arts and Culture

Paul Pepper: Mor Kantor, MorSupport & "Carnegie Hall Comes to River City"

Today Paul Pepper visits with MOR KANTOR, a breast cancer survivor and founder of MorSupport, a support group for moms dealing with cancer. Volunteers and…

Arts and Culture

Paul Pepper: Jane Armer, Sinclair School of Nursing, "Living Well After Breast Cancer"

Today Paul Pepper visits with JANE ARMER, Professor at the University of Missouri's Sinclair School of Nursing, about "Living Well After Breast Cancer,"…

This spiral CT image of the chest shows a large malignant mass (purple) in one lung. A conventional chest X-ray could have missed this tumor, radiologists say.

Health & Wealth

Why Some Doctors Hesitate To Screen Smokers For Lung Cancer

Anders Kelto

Medicare now pays for some long-term smokers to get an annual test. These scans could save thousands of lives each year, but some doctors still worry risks outweigh benefits.

Health & Wealth

Under the Microscope: The Tribulations of Rural Cancer

Grant Gerlock

Just over a year ago, Tracy Dethlefs learned she has stage 1 breast cancer. Since then, she estimates she’s charted some 10,000 miles travelling from her…