What the 'Delta family' means to 3 breast cancer survivors

Chandra DeSosa, Tiwana Porter and Dawn Oklesson share a remarkable bond. Spend just a few minutes with them and you’ll see more than just a friendship — it’s a Delta sisterhood.

It’s a connection all the more remarkable because these three women are different ages, grew up in different places, and work in different departments and locations at our company of 100,000. More remarkable still because they are all breast cancer survivors, tenacious fighters willing to share their story as we close out Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The trio met just this year, along with four other colleagues, on the set of a video to support our fundraising partnership with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The group connected instantly. Dawn, Tiwana and Chandra recently reunited to share more about their journeys with me. (They also took part in our annual Breast Cancer One charter flight this year.)

You’ll hear Delta people speak often of their “Delta family” — a family all three told me gave them crucial support through their diagnosis and treatment. When Tiwana, a Minneapolis-based Res and Care agent, was diagnosed in 2021, her supervisor walked her through everything she would need to do and supported her every step of the way: “She is my angel. I love her so much.”

Dawn’s co-workers helped her get to and from appointments after her diagnosis in 2008 and held bake sales to raise money for medical bills. “Delta stood beside me the whole way,” said Dawn, who began her aviation career as a mechanic and works today in our Atlanta TechOps division.

Chandra, a Florida-based flight attendant diagnosed 10 years ago, echoed that sentiment as she recalled her “personal hero,” a fellow flight attendant, accompanying her to treatments: “Delta was just being Delta. Being awesome and always being there, and treating everybody like family and backing us up 110% — on and off the job.”

Purpose

Delta marks 20 years of partnership with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation

As Delta celebrates its 100th year of connecting the world, we’re also celebrating a partnership that reflects the heart of who we are — 20 years of standing alongside the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. 

The way our people take care of each other isn’t in a handbook or a training module. It’s just who they are — 100 years of care shining through, a legacy passed from generation to generation.

Today, these women are a beacon of hope for others going through the same thing. (In fact, Dawn has survived breast cancer twice; Tiwana survived colon cancer, a diagnosis she received just one year after finishing her breast cancer treatment.) They credit Delta’s partnership with the BCRF for giving them additional knowledge to help others — and the hope that our work together will one day help to eradicate this disease. Until that day comes, they are grateful for the life-saving mammograms, research and other resources BCRF works to provide.

“It was the power of this organization, Delta and the BCRF, that I was able to add what I already knew to help her navigate,” Tiwana said, explaining that her cousin had recently been diagnosed with cancer and turned to her for help.

Today, the future is bright for these unlikely friends — connected by a diagnosis no one ever wants to receive, a desire to help others and a drive to inspire.

“Appreciate what you have,” Dawn said when asked what advice she would give those new to Delta. “Appreciate the job. Appreciate Delta.”