Darleene “Dolly” Warren was passionate about her volunteer work, directing her boundless energy toward finding resources to provide the uninsured or underinsured women and men of Galveston County access to breast cancer screenings. She was the driving force behind D’Feet Breast Cancer, a nonprofit organization dedicated to carrying out that mission that was close to her heart because of her own experience as a breast cancer survivor.
“She was known for her commitment to the community, and D’Feet Breast Cancer lost its guiding force in 2017 with Dolly’s passing,” said Caitlin Schanzer, an administrative operations manager for the Departments of Anesthesiology, Dermatology, and Surgery at UTMB. ““That’s why I believe it was so meaningful for Dr. Phillips to choose to carry Dolly’s name forward through another organization to honor her legacy of service,” Schanzer said.
She and UTMB’s Chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery Dr. Linda Phillips have co-founded Dolly’s Promise, another initiative that provides essential breast health services to underserved people in Galveston County.
“In addition to the missions of the D'Feet Breast cancer, Dolly's Promise is setting its sights on education and testing for younger women,” Dr. Phillips said. “With the new knowledge of multiple genetic markers that predict a high risk for breast cancer, it is important to get this information to young women who have a strong family history of breast, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate and colon cancer. If we can alert them to the need for genetic testing, early surveillance and if necessary, risk reduction surgery, we can save lives and help prevent women from getting cancer.”
Dolly was known for her dedication to many areas of community volunteer work. She had been an active member with the Friends of Moody Gardens and the Galveston Historical Foundation of Homes Tours and was a president of UTMB’s hospital auxiliary. It was well known that if Dolly asked for help with her volunteer work, it would be nearly impossible to turn her down. When she and her husband, UTMB surgeon Dr. Michael Warren, arrived in Galveston in 1976, she had immediately begun finding ways to volunteer in the community, and it became her life’s mission.
“We know how passionately Dolly worked to promote awareness for her organization, and so we would like to bring it back in her honor and carry on her mission,” Schanzer said. “We are currently in discussions with the Galveston County Health District, working through the files from D’Feet Breast Cancer to get it restarted. Dolly’s Promise will offer screening mammograms, diagnostic mammograms, ultrasounds, clinical breast exams, patient navigation referrals, and access to support groups.”
The new organization’s goal is aligned with Dolly’s earlier vision—to offer all breast health services to support underserved residents of Galveston County to help prevent, detect, or treat breast cancer.