Former 36-year trial attorney, breast cancer survivor, and a passionate advocate fighting for healthcare equity. Maria Boyce steps into her new role as Board Chair of The Rose, channeling her own life-saving early diagnosis into a mission to ensure quality breast healthcare is a right for all women, not a privilege. From navigating structural barriers across 45 Texas counties and supporting women through patient advocacy to making a legacy gift for future generations, Maria discusses how early detection, dedicated advocacy, and community support save lives. If this conversation has inspired you to join the fight against breast cancer, share this episode with family and friends and consider making a donation at therose.org so another woman gets the care she needs.

If this story has helped you think differently about mammograms and breast health, share this episode with family and friends and consider making a donation at therose.org so another woman gets the care she needs.

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Key Questions Answered

1. How did Maria Boyce’s 36-year career as a trial attorney prepare her to advocate for women facing breast cancer today?

2. Why does Maria believe her annual mammograms—and access to good health insurance—were life-saving after an aggressive breast cancer diagnosis?

3. What does Maria mean when she says health care is a right, not a privilege?

4. How did her work with the Episcopal Health Foundation and her family’s commitment to health access lead Maria to The Rose?

5. Why did Maria decide to join The Rose Board of Directors and eventually accept the role of Board Chair?

6. What story about a woman choosing a mastectomy because she could not miss work for radiation stayed with Maria—and why?

7. How does The Rose help women navigate care after a breast cancer diagnosis, from finding treatment to getting through a confusing system?

8. What strengths does Maria see in The Rose’s board, and how does its professional expertise support the organization’s mission?

9. What does Maria see as The Rose’s biggest opportunity over the next forty years, especially for uninsured, underinsured, and rural women?

10. Why did Maria and her husband choose to include The Rose in their legacy plans, and what does she hope that gift will make possible for women in the future?