FLAW Certifies 18 Founding Cancer Mentors

FLAW Certifies 18 Founding Mentors to Walk With Local Families Facing Cancer
 

Inaugural Warrior Mentor Academy class to be honored at the 2026 Thriver Gala, “Lights of Hope,” with Ochsner MD Anderson Breast Surgical Oncologist Dr. Amy Rivere as guest speaker

CHALMETTE, La. — Fight Like a Warrior Foundation (FLAW) has certified its first class of volunteer cancer mentors to serve families across St. Bernard Parish and Greater New Orleans. Eighteen survivors, caregivers, medical professionals, and community members completed the inaugural FLAW Warrior Mentor Academy on September 18–19 and were commissioned as Cohort 1, the Academy’s Founding Mentors.

The Academy opened with a welcome social on Friday evening, followed by a full day of training on Saturday at the St. Bernard Parish Library. Across twelve modules, participants prepared to offer peer support to people and families facing a new diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, recurrence, or caregiving.

The curriculum covered active listening, emotional intelligence, healthy boundaries, supporting caregivers, connecting mentees with local and national cancer resources, and recognizing when to refer someone to professional help. The day closed with live role-play and a commissioning ceremony.

“Everyone in that room said yes to something hard,” said Taysha D. Gibbs, FLAW’s founder and executive director, who is living with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer. “They already know what cancer takes from a family. Now they have the training to walk beside someone else without trying to fix it, carry it alone, or step outside what a mentor should do. That’s how we keep our promise that no one should have to fight cancer alone.”

FLAW mentors do not replace therapists, physicians, or case managers. They offer encouragement, hope, and lived experience, and they are trained to recognize when a mentee needs more than a mentor can give. After onboarding, FLAW matches each mentor with a mentee based on shared experience, needs, and availability. The Founding Mentors will continue with follow-on training in the coming months, along with regular check-ins and peer support.

The 18 Founding Mentors will be publicly honored at FLAW’s 2026 Thriver Gala, “Lights of Hope,” on Friday, November 20, from 8 to 11 p.m. at The Cannery, 3803 Toulouse Street, New Orleans. The evening’s guest speaker is Dr. Amy Rivere, a breast surgical oncologist at Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center, who also supported the Academy alongside members of her team. Dr. Rivere will join Gibbs in presenting each Founding Mentor with the Warrior Mentor pin.

“Care extends beyond medicine. Patients and families benefit greatly from the support of individuals who can provide understanding, encouragement and compassion, helping them navigate difficult circumstances with comfort and confidence. Mentors will play an invaluable role in the patient journey, and it is a privilege to recognize their service and dedication,” said Dr. Rivere.

“Being a cancer survivor and thriver, I know what it is like to walk through some difficult and uncertain days. I chose to be a mentor with FLAW because if God can use what I’ve been through to encourage others in the fight, then my journey has an even greater purpose,” said David Gonzalez, member of Cohort 1 from Meraux, La. “For me, it is simply about being there, sharing hope, and reminding someone that they do not have to walk this road alone."

The Academy was offered at no cost to participants thanks to community partners, including the St. Bernard Parish Library, which hosted the training. 

Tickets and sponsorships for The Thriver Gala are available at flawfoundation.org.

St. Bernard Parish Hospital Managed by Ocshner is the Gala’s title sponsor. FLAW will open Cohort 2 of the Warrior Mentor Academy in 2027.

People facing cancer who would like to be matched with a mentor, and anyone interested in a future cohort, can learn more at flawfoundation.org/mentor-academy.

About Fight Like a Warrior Foundation

Fight Like a Warrior Foundation (FLAW) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in St. Bernard Parish that serves people of all ages and genders facing any type of cancer, and their families, across St. Bernard Parish and the Greater New Orleans area. FLAW provides mentorship, education, advocacy, and survivorship resources. Founder Taysha D. Gibbs, a 27-year military veteran, started FLAW in 2023 after her own journey with Stage IV cancer. Learn more at flawfoundation.org or follow @Flawfoundation.

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