Meet out Founder and CEO
Tanja Thompson
Tanja Thompson was born and raised in Fort Wayne, IN a small town in the mid-west. Upon graduating from high school, she went to work at a nursing home, while her friends went to work at Dana and Harvester the largest car manufacturing plants in the mid-west. This was not her path – she knew her ticket out of poverty was to get an education, so she enlisted in the Air Force for the educational benefits. The military has afforded her the opportunity to gain life and work experiences.
Tanja is a 2x breast cancer survivor and helps individuals in being their own health advocate in educating them about treatment options, early detection, through outreach. When, she was diagnosed with breast cancer the 1st time she kept it a secret, especially since she was military and didn’t want to be seen less than capable or a victim. At the 5-year mark she found a lump on her left breast and this time it was invasive breast cancer. In her search for “the real” she found it difficult to find pictures to help her understand her diagnoses, treatment of care, and what to face next. That is why she wrote the book, “What to Expect When you Weren’t Expecting Breast Cancer” it’s her journal via real life, full color, raw, un-doctored photos of her breast cancer journey. She want’s other to see from the lenses of an actual patient that there is life with, within, outside of breast cancer as long as you have the right information and perspective of your cancer type.”
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Tanja speaks
Tanja also delivered a powerful TEDx Talk on her breast cancer journey from “Tragedy to Triumph”. But that was enough for Tanja this year she submitted an application to be a TEDx curator and was granted a license for TEDxCatoctinCircleWomen main event Dec 7, 2019 in Leesburg, VA. To bring this full circle she’s the CEO/Founder of Breast Cancer Move Foundation a non-profit 501(3)(c), helping military, veterans, caregivers, other uniform services move from the tragic diagnoses of the disease breast cancer into light of triumph. One thing Tanja still struggles with is, no one in her Family has been diagnosed with breast cancer, but at the time she was diagnosed three other military women were also diagnosed. The lingering question for her is if it was an environmental trigger that brought on her breast cancer. Tanja is married to the love of her life Philip E. Thompson, they have three children, Artisha, Taylor, and Tysne and one granddaughter Faith.