Roberta Lombardi and Infinite Strength
When Roberta Lombardi, a Connecticut mom of three, heard her diagnosis of early-stage triple-positive breast cancer she had 14 months of treatment but found herself changed after the experience. She formed a nonprofit, Infinite Strength, to support breast cancer patients of all stages but she quickly pivoted toward the lives of moms with metastatic breast cancer: Specifically, single mothers of kids under 18, with financial need and MBC. The need is great and the response has been as well. Roberta took her regional nonprofit from serving people in Connecticut, to the Northeast, then including the South, and soon its focus on changing the picture for these women spread nationwide. Infinite Strength had beneficiaries in 27 states in late August and there is a lot planned for the end of 2023 and into 2024. Roberta is laser focused on removing barriers so that both moms with MBC and their kids can make the most of their time together, and she’s not afraid of causing waves to reach that goal.
Websites and Links of Interest:
Meet the Guests of the Episode
Deltra James
Deltra is a Connecticut based mama of 5 amazing girls who she strives to raise with cultural and health awareness. She's a chain tea drinker, wig hoarder, and lover of singing loudly and dancing unabashedly. Since being diagnosed with Triple Negative MBC de novo in 2019 she has focused on thriving through education, advocacy, connecting and radical self-care. She is passionate about mental and emotional wellness, creative expression as a means of coping, community building and connecting BIPOC women with people and spaces that can care for their whole selves. She is a member of Cactus Cancer Society's YAC advisory board, the inaugural class of For the Breast of Us Baddie Ambassador, the Our MBC Life podcast volunteer and serves as Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator for Project Life MBC.
You can find Deltra at:
IG - @deltra_does_it
FB - deltra.tatiana
Marlena Murphy
Marlena was diagnosed with stage III triple-negative breast cancer in 2018. She maintained a positive attitude throughout treatment and found herself encouraging friends upon hearing her news. Marlena found her way to the advocacy world because of her desire to help others dealing with cancer. She began serving as a Patient Advocate in 2019 with My Style Matters while undergoing treatment. She also serves as a Patient & Family Advisor for Emory Winship Cancer Institute; works as a Program Manager for GRASP - Guiding Researchers and Advocates to Scientific Partnerships; and works as the Community Advocate for TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation. As a result of her diagnosis and desire to help people, Marlena went back to school to pursue a Master's degree. In 2022, her last year of graduate school, she was diagnosed with Metastatic TNBC. In May 2023, she received a Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with certificates in Marriage & Family Therapy and Sex Therapy. Currently, Marlena provides therapy services to individuals experiencing homelessness. Marlena is also a 2023 NBCC Project Lead Graduate. Soon, she will be providing counseling services for breast cancer patients and survivors at TurningPoint through a grant-funded initiative in downtown Atlanta.
You can find Marlena at:
Twitter: @MarlenaDM
Roberta Lombardi
Roberta is a breast cancer survivor and an early stage ally to the MBC Community. She began Infinite Strength in 2018 to provide single mothers in active treatment for breast cancer with financial and emotional support. As the nonprofit grew, she understood the unique needs patients with MBC had and the lack of support and access to care for marginalized groups. Infinite Strength is the only breast cancer nonprofit in the country to provide recurring financial grants for single moms with MBC, while also providing support to their children as well.
You can find Roberta at:
Instagram - @strengthforhealing
Twitter - @Robertalom3
@InfiniteMBC
Facebook - Infinite Strength
Linkedin - Infinite Strength
