Transcript generated from the episode’s audio. Speaker names are identified from the context of the conversation rather than from recorded speaker data, and automatic transcription may misspell names and terminology. Please refer to the video for the authoritative version.

David Raubach: Thank you for joining us today on the Cancer Project podcast. We are really privileged to have State Representative Melissa Provenzano with us today. She has an incredible personal journey going through a cancer diagnosis just here recently. She’s also dealt with her mom going through not one but two different cancer diagnoses. And she was the sponsor of House Bill 1389, a bill here in Oklahoma which expands access for women needing diagnostic screening for breast cancer. And we’re going to talk through all of the trials and tribulations that she had to go through to get that bill passed, which was actually at one point vetoed by the governor. So, join us today for a great conversation with State Representative Melissa Provenzano. Melissa, thank you for joining us today.

Melissa Provenzano: Thank you for having me on. This is an opportunity I’m so glad to have. And when you asked, I’m like, “Oh, I’m there.”

David Raubach: Well, we appreciate your passion advocating for women who are needing screening for breast cancer. So, just to kind of set the table a little bit, tell us, you — I think you joined the House of Representatives in 2018. Is that correct?

Melissa Provenzano: Yes.

David Raubach: So what led to your interest in politics or wanting to get involved there?

Melissa Provenzano: So totally not in the same lane, but I was a high school principal and had been doing that for 10 years. Before that I was a teacher, but and I had cut my budget every single year for 10 years. And in I don’t know if you’ll remember, but in 2018 the teacher walk out happened here in Oklahoma City. And so I drove down, met with my representative, lovely, lovely representative. He was a nice man. Didn’t tell me a whole lot. I was, but I was tired of funding drying up and going away. And so I was advocating, and he was turned out and the seat was open. And so I decided to run. I went home and I’m like, well, so here’s how much I make as a principal. Here’s how much a legislator makes. Can we make this work?

Melissa Provenzano: And so my husband and I figured out a way to do it and we’ve just been moving ever since. And I have a relatively purple district and so it was, as a Democrat, it was hard, a lot of sweat equity, but hopefully bringing some balance to the capital.

David Raubach: Well, we have a connection that we just talked about before we came on here. I’m actually, or I grew up in your district.

Melissa Provenzano: Yes. In Tulsa. Best district.

David Raubach: The best district. Yeah. Shout out to Shadow Mountain Estates and 61st and Memorial. And my parents still live in your district.

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah. And you, in my square mile. So yeah, that’s incredible.

David Raubach: And Grimes Elementary is still up and running and going.

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah. Love that. Love that part of Tulsa.

David Raubach: So, shout out to Tulsa. It’s a beautiful city. So, then, so you joined in 2018. What were some of the early focuses for you after you joined the legislature?

Melissa Provenzano: Sure. A lot of what I came to the role hoping to accomplish was centered around public education. But I also, when you’re knocking doors and talking to Democrats, Republicans, independents, libertarians, libertarians will take 30 minutes of your time. So, just — it’s amazing. Small government, big conversations.

David Raubach: Oh, yes.

Melissa Provenzano: A lot to say, but it’s always riveting. But you also get a ton of ideas from that. So, I ran some education policy to begin with, but I also have largely constituent issues that I try to resolve through legislation or through working with state agencies. One of the pieces of legislation I was most proud of prior to the last few years was my work with the Demand Project, who is in the Fontana — based in the Fontana — and they fight child trafficking.

David Raubach: Okay.

Melissa Provenzano: And we retooled the law to tighten up the language around that, that helps police officers do their job better, moving away from you know it when you see it when it comes to child pornography, and strengthening the law in that area. And then I spent a lot of time doing defense for public education systems in our school districts and some work for the county. But then in 2022, I actually ran the diagnostic mammography bill for the first time, right? I had a constituent say, you know, this is great, but I, you know, got my screening and they found something and so they ordered this next more expensive test and then my insurance company would only pay a few hundred for it. And the rest was on me, which was about $1,200. And I had to decide between putting food on the table for my kids or doing this test.

Melissa Provenzano: So what did I do? And I’m like, well, we’re going to do both. We need to do both. So I reached out to Komen at that time and said, you know, what do you think about this? And they’re like, well, would you like to become the 10th state to require insurance companies to pay for diagnostic programs? And yes, I would.

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: And Komen is the largest organization, but not the only organization by any stretch of the imagination. And I tapped into Oklahoma Project Woman as well as the Stone Brook Project. And we made it a requirement. But then after that, we started having women say, well, you know, hospitals are telling me it’s not covered, insurance companies are telling me it’s not covered, I have this machine and I’m in Guymon and it’s not covered as a diagnostic mammogram. So that’s when Komen returned and said, would you please be willing to write an expansion of that law? And so we did, in 2025.

David Raubach: So, going back to the effort in 2022, yes, you know, you grew up in Oklahoma, you’re from Oklahoma. You know, Oklahoma has historically been a state where it’s been difficult to get what some would call mandates or insurance mandates through the legislative process. So, did you run into any roadblocks in 2022? What was it like, kind of, again, being in a state that was a relatively early adopter to this requirement for insurance companies to pay for scans for women needing breast cancer screening, right?

Melissa Provenzano: It was definitely a challenge, but Komen was an excellent partner, as well as the Stone Brook Project, in particular, in getting those things across the line, and it was relatively easy to get through the House and the Senate.

David Raubach: Okay.

Melissa Provenzano: But insurance companies did push back, and we tweaked the language at that time to carve out high deductible plans or plans from out of state, because we really can’t require, you know, much if your insurance policy is out of state. And that, and those two tweaks, helped us get it across the line. I had a champion in Senator Brenda Stanley, who was the Senate author. Her husband had passed away from stage four prostate cancer.

David Raubach: Oh, okay.

Melissa Provenzano: And so she’s like, whatever, had we caught it early, Fred Stanley would still be here. And they spent all told $4 million in treating him. And so, you know, the argument that it would be more expensive and raise rates, it didn’t really felt — it didn’t really land with her, because she’s like, “No, let me tell you how much it should actually cost if you don’t catch it early.”

David Raubach: Right.

Melissa Provenzano: And so, and the governor signed it in 2022. So when we ran the expansion, which was significant, in 2025, we were all stunned that he vetoed it.

David Raubach: Yeah. So, so, and I do want to talk about that because I think that was shocking for the public as well to see that happen. So, the — so, for those that are not necessarily familiar with the nuances or specifics of the 2022 bill, what specifically does that bill require insurance companies?

Melissa Provenzano: That particular bill said if a doctor orders a diagnostic mammogram, okay, and that could be an ultrasound, that could be an MRI and one other one — I’m sorry, I can’t remember at the time. And then the insurance company must pay for that with no out of pocket to the patient. And the 2025 added new machines, contrast-enhanced tomography, and a couple other — there was a contrast-enhanced mammogram. I saw that — chromosome, not chromosome, contrast, a C word. I’m a biology teacher by trade. But those sorts of things. Sorry, it’s late in the day. But, just added more machines.

Melissa Provenzano: So, no matter where you were, what your zip code was, if you were a woman and you needed these services, if your doctor ordered it, you got it. So, really filled the gap for some from some things that weren’t covered in that first bill, right?

David Raubach: Right.

Melissa Provenzano: And I remember at the Komen Pink Stiletto, they were talking about how much money has been saved by women since the 2022. And I think the total at that time — I want to say it was over the wintertime — was to the tune of $1 million that were left in the pockets of women that didn’t have to pay for that. And so I think it was — it’s been huge. And now, with the expansion and with the higher profile of just the story of the bill, far more women are aware — and men too, because it doesn’t carve them out, and men can get breast cancer. And far more women are aware, you know, in 2022 women started getting refund checks because they had already paid that particular year, right? But we expect that the impact will be even larger this year.

David Raubach: Yeah, that’s great. Yeah. And so, I don’t — I’m going to pull up my notes here to make sure that I get this accurate, but I believe that you won an award from the Komen Foundation at the Pink Stiletto.

Melissa Provenzano: Yes.

David Raubach: Event. And I don’t know that I have the exact name of the award here, but what award did you win?

Melissa Provenzano: Oh, gosh, I think Woman of Influence.

David Raubach: Woman of Influence. That’s right.

Melissa Provenzano: Yes. Yes. And it was a lovely little pink heart statue. It was awesome. And I got to speak, and it was just an incredible night. I had my mom right by my side, and she’s very much avoids the limelight. But that night was incredible to be there.

David Raubach: Yeah. Well, and I think well deserved for you to be honored that way.

Melissa Provenzano: Thank you.

David Raubach: So, you mentioned your mom. And I know you’ve been pretty transparent about the struggles that she’s had with cancer, not just once, but twice.

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah.

David Raubach: Tell us a little bit about the journey that she’s gone through.

Melissa Provenzano: Sure. So, she was diagnosed for the second time this past October. So it would have been 10 years prior that she was diagnosed the first time, caught it very early, had a lumpectomy and just had to do radiation. And we thought we were done. And she felt like she got off easy. She would tell you, in 2014, that she was one of the lucky ones and just had some radiation burn and that’s kind of it. But then this past October, you know, after I’d already agreed to run this update in this major expansion, she — it came back in the same spot.

David Raubach: Wow.

Melissa Provenzano: And so she’d had the single breast mastectomy. But I remember when she first told us, we were at Mario’s Pizza in Broken Arrow, because that’s where our family went to, I don’t know, just every other Sunday. And that definitely rocked our world, because my mother is strength personified. And she just is a quiet queen that will persist and just kind of move along and not really raise, you know, too much ruckus about, look at me, what’s going on? And for her to have to tell us something like that was profound for our entire family, but she came through it well. And this October, she’s 10 years older and it’s a little bit harder. And so she opted for the full breast mastectomy.

Melissa Provenzano: And I kind of thought — and I’m running for reelection and I know I’m running this bill — and she’s like, well, how do I, you know, so now she’s navigating the law and trying to understand and trying to explain, you know, how to code, because she was a patient care provider, okay, by trade, in Tulsa, St. Francis, and she helped people get their insurance bills paid by retooling the coding and did a lot of good work. So, she was able to navigate it easier, but she still struggled. So, can you imagine what the general population, right, faces on the regular?

David Raubach: Oh, it’s a foreign language.

Melissa Provenzano: I mean, when you look at an insurance bill, an explanation of benefits, it’s just a bunch of — very hard to explain.

David Raubach: Yes, for sure.

Melissa Provenzano: So, and if you can tweak the code and get a bill paid, and then that means more money in someone’s pocket. And so anyway, and so, you know, we’re kind of going through that, and then all of a sudden, you know, I’m — because of her, my sister and I were pretty religious in getting annual mammograms, right? And I was due to get mine in September, but because I was campaigning for reelection, it got pushed to November. And in November, it was caught. And it was so small that we wondered even if it would have been caught in September.

David Raubach: Oh, okay. Right.

Melissa Provenzano: And so it was a very unusual time, and by December 11th I’d had the screening, the biopsy, the MRI, and the ultrasound that had diagn — when you — excuse me, when you told us, both my sister and I got genetic testing done, right, and she didn’t pass us anything, it was whatever else there was. And so, you know, I have a different kind of cancer. She just could — she still to this day feels guilty. And I’m like, “No, mom, there’s a hundred million things that can go wrong.” And the particular type of cancer that I had was fast-moving and aggressive. So, they moved fast and in an aggressive way to begin treatment.

David Raubach: So that moment that you found out that you had cancer, was it a phone call or did you get a report?

Melissa Provenzano: Okay. So, yeah, it was really odd. I knew the report was coming that day, and my husband had dropped off — there’s a discount tire at 66th and Memorial now.

David Raubach: Yes.

Melissa Provenzano: And he had gone to drop off his car to get new tires, and he was going to walk home, and I — cause I wasn’t home yet, cause it’s not far from my house — and he called and he’s like, “Okay, it’s really hot. Do you mind coming to get me?” And I’m like, “Okay, yeah, just give me a minute.” And something in my voice, I guess, told him. And this man, who is 60 — 66 — sprinted home.

David Raubach: Oh my gosh.

Melissa Provenzano: And it was fascinating. Cause he, you know, he’s like, “I almost died.” He goes, “But I knew something was wrong.” But I found out at home.

David Raubach: Okay.

Melissa Provenzano: And just kind of sitting with it. You go into shock, and different people respond to shock in different ways. And so I just kind of processed what is and how do we cope and how do we move forward, and then you want all the doctor’s appointments the next day, because that’s what needs to happen. But it works at the speed of doctor availability, right? And navigating and picking a doctor, and oh, we can’t see you in six months. Well, I don’t have six months to wait. You know, I’ve got to get in now, is something I think most people struggle with, right?

David Raubach: Yeah. What was the — so, what was the most difficult part, I guess, for you, navigating those first few days or weeks? I mean, I think probably part of what you said is just the want or desire to move quickly.

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah. And so, you know, like every good Gen Xer, you turn to the internet.

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: To learn, to fill in the gaps until you see the doctor, right? And so, you can convince yourself of a lot of things.

David Raubach: Did that help? Did that make it worse?

Melissa Provenzano: What? Yes. Both.

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: Yes. Yeah. Cause he’s like, well, here’s what it could be. Here’s what it could be. And but I was thankful to get into the surgeon relatively quickly. And then the surgeon, you know, recommended this oncologist or that oncologist. And we just began a conversation that we’re still having to this day, you know, and he was very practical and literal about, you know, but also a patient advocate for how do you want to go about this? I did catch it early. I’m lucky, and my health insurance, as a legislator, I’ll be very honest with you, is one of the best parts of the job.

David Raubach: Okay.

Melissa Provenzano: We have decent coverage as state employees. And it felt like everyone should have the same access that I do, right? And I knew I was already doing this job, or doing this bill, but I’m fairly introverted.

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: And so, like today, when we leave, I won’t smile the whole way home, you know, or talk or do anything. But it was a difficult decision to become public. But I knew, you know, so I had surgery in January, had a single breast mastectomy in January, and chemo was due to start in February. So I knew late March my hair was going to start to fall out. And I — I’ll never, you know, it was a difficult decision because you can’t hide it.

David Raubach: Yeah, you really can’t.

Melissa Provenzano: So, I decided to be public about it, and I think honestly it was the best thing I ever did.

David Raubach: So, what — because I’ve seen you talk about that in a couple of interviews.

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah.

David Raubach: Just that decision that you were going through, of, well, are people going to think that I’m running this bill? Is there like a self-serving aspect to it? Or, you know, what — or I don’t know, like, second guessing, like, how public—

Melissa Provenzano: That’s so real. Yes, and I did, because we all spent a lot of time going, you know, I don’t want it to look like that, and there are people that are going to say that — people did say that. You know, the truth of it is I had agreed to do it at a conference that I ran into Komen, a Komen representative, back in June, July, and I knew that, and so that was enough for me. And, you know, and my treatment will have been much further down the line before this bill takes law — takes effect, which is November 1st of this year. And so it’s not going to benefit me, and I know that, and that’s enough, right? But in sharing my story, I remember, you know, my caucus knew, cause I told them, and I told them what to expect and everything, but the other caucus I had shared with them closer to the time that everything started moving.

Melissa Provenzano: And I’ll never forget the floor leader, Representative Josh West. I’d gotten the bill through committee.

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: And it was late March, and I knew, cause I was starting to have clumps come out, but I have very thick hair.

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: And so you couldn’t really tell yet, except I had a pet roller and all of that.

David Raubach: And I was — Senator Stanley, I saw one quote where she said that you have — you had a great head of hair.

Melissa Provenzano: Yes, I did. Yeah, I’ll take that. But, but yeah, and so I went into Josh West and I’m like, well, so here’s the thing, I’ve got this bill, if you’re going to put it on the floor, I hope you do, if you will just do it before I lose my hair. And I didn’t realize he didn’t know yet, I just assumed.

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: And he’s like, “Oh, oh, should I give you a hug?” No, don’t touch.

David Raubach: Okay. Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah. Yes. Yeah. You know, and that was a Thursday or a Friday, and the next floor day was a Monday, and that’s when we put it on the floor in the House, and you turn around and you just see this little dots of pink everywhere.

David Raubach: That’s amazing.

Melissa Provenzano: And so, but after that was perhaps some of the most moving and powerful moments of my life, because everybody’s looking somewhere to release their story. And I heard from, you know, stories about my wife dealt with this, my aunt, my sister, my best friend, my mother, you know, I even had one staff person that says, “I’ve just been diagnosed, but I haven’t told anybody.”

David Raubach: Oh my gosh.

Melissa Provenzano: You know, and so people are looking for a place to put that. And those stories are going to — for the rest of my life, you know, because I was a safe space. And so I’m glad I did it, even though it was a lot for me.

David Raubach: Yeah. It’s amazing. I think, having worked in the field of oncology for a couple decades now, I think that’s one of the things that you realize, is that pretty much everybody’s been impacted by cancer, whether it’s a family member or a friend. I remember speaking at a high school a couple months back, and I’m thinking, you know, these kids are all 16, 17, 18. Maybe they’re not — they haven’t lived long enough to have this exposure, experience with cancer. And so I asked the class, who in there either had a family member or a friend that they had direct knowledge of or experience with them going through cancer.

David Raubach: And I think there were 30 kids in the class and 28 of them raised their hand. I mean, it was — it was even at that age, it was already, whether it was a grandparent or an aunt or an uncle or a friend. It’s just one of those things that it doesn’t discriminate. It impacts everybody, and it’s really neat. I mean, I can’t imagine what that was like coming in after you went public with the diagnosis and seeing people supporting you by wearing pink.

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah.

David Raubach: Or wearing the cancer ribbons.

Melissa Provenzano: Oh, yeah. I’m not a crier, but there were some tears for sure. And, just, you get through it. And then, I mean, that next week in particular, just inside the Capitol building, the stories I could tell, but then that went statewide.

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: And how do we get this done? And then the bill crossed over, and Senator Stanley took it away, and she had some people vote against it, and it was, you know, and she was just, you know, we’re going to do this, it’s going to get done, and we did. But I remember when the governor vetoed it, he said, well, insurance rates are going to rise. And we had the evidence, you know, and I had actually reached out and said, “Listen, if you’re even thinking about vetoing it, just let me come talk to you first.” And that didn’t happen. And that’s the way that works sometimes. But, you know, we have other states where you’ve had this expansion, where it hasn’t increased at all. And so it was a null set of what can happen.

Melissa Provenzano: And it was fascinating when we got to that last week, and usually the veto overrides happen on the last day. So I kind of expected that.

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: And Brenda was like, “What, do you have the votes?” I’m like, “Oh yeah, I got them.” “You know, do you have them?” “Oh yeah, I got them. We just got to get on the floor.”

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: And I don’t know, you know, you might have heard me speak about, you know, when I did it on the floor, I knew how it was going to go, and so I wanted to see her work. And man, when she presented the override, there was fire coming out of her fingertips, and she was just a force. And then you had another female senator stand up and tell her story, and another. And then you actually had Senator Bergstrom stood up, and he says, “I voted against this. I don’t believe in, you know, I don’t want to increase insurance rates. I don’t want to do this.” But then I got home and my wife was waiting for me, and she took me to the woodshed.

David Raubach: Yeah. Good. Good for her.

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah. And then she turned me over to my daughters. “I will be voting for this bill because I would like to go home.”

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: I was like, “Oh, the women,” you know, and it was just such a unifying force, and we just truly stripped away party, and I’m like, “Oh, we could do this all the time.” So, yeah.

David Raubach: Talk a little bit about that party aspect, because the — Oklahoma as a state is one of the most partisan states in the country, and the vast — very, very red. The vast majority of senators and representatives are Republican. Senator Stanley’s a Republican.

Melissa Provenzano: Yes.

David Raubach: So you were actually working primarily with Republicans, so crossing over the aisle, as they say. What was what was that process like? And were — was there any hesitation on the Republican side working with you, or how did you kind of navigate all that?

Melissa Provenzano: There always is that perceived discomfort of, am I going to work with a Democrat? Brenda doesn’t suffer a lot of that nonsense. I think she’s like, is it a good piece of legislation? Let’s go. You know, and she’s like that across the board. But I knew her personal story, and I knew mine. She actually lost her sister, not her husband, but also her sister, to breast cancer, a few years later, like last year. And so, she’s all about prevention, and so it’s easier with her. But when I do run legislation, as a rule, generally I reach out to Republicans, because, you know, one of the things that we kind of fail to see, especially on a national level, is you don’t get anything done.

Melissa Provenzano: You know, I don’t get anything done by being rude to anybody, because, you know, they’ll go, well, you know, stinks to be you, we don’t have to support you. And so showing respect and collaboration and on all things gets you a lot further down the road. But in this area, I remember the first time around, the speaker, Speaker Charles McCall, his wife had had breast cancer.

David Raubach: Okay.

Melissa Provenzano: And John Echols’s mother had been — or passed away, because of breast cancer. And it was just even within the ranks of Republican and Democrat, the letter behind your name didn’t change that, right?

David Raubach: And the same happened again.

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah. And I learned even more, you know, stories of where that was happening. Everybody — one in six women in Oklahoma is, you know, more than the national average, right?

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: And so, you know, even just in the ranks of the female legislators.

David Raubach: Well, we in Oklahoma, I’m glad you brought that up. So, there’s a higher incidence rate of cancer in Oklahoma than the national average.

Melissa Provenzano: There’s definitely a higher incidence rate of breast cancer.

David Raubach: The other thing in Oklahoma is that we have some of the worst cancer mortality rates of any state in the country. I mean, I’ve seen some rankings where we literally are 50th, depending on the type of cancer. And a lot of that has to do with screening. It’s not getting screened early enough, right? Because we can do a better job treating cancer, right, if we catch it earlier. And so it’s legislation — if we really want to tackle cancer mortality in Oklahoma, we have to be thinking about it from the standpoint of access to screening, right? And that’s partly what this bill does.

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah.

David Raubach: Well, and when you think about the national model, you know, women in the state of Oklahoma can start getting a free screening once they’re 40.

Melissa Provenzano: Okay. You can get one at 35, but just one, and you have to wait five years, unless you have a family history — you have this or you have that. But you have younger and younger women that are being diagnosed. And so, I mean, that’s kind of in my line of sight, is what do we do to get that 40 down to 30, or, you — and what’s next — especially, you know, I have two stepdaughters, and I’m like, I know we’re not genetically related, but one, two, three, we’re half of the ratio, and so I need you guys to take this seriously.

David Raubach: Yeah. So, the veto by the governor, how did you find out? I mean, did you think there was—

Melissa Provenzano: Oh, I got an email.

David Raubach: You got an email. Oh, wow.

Melissa Provenzano: And I think it’s like the breakup text message.

David Raubach: Yes. Well, I mean, there’s a — it’s efficient.

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah, I’ll give you that. But, but yeah, and then there’s a veto message that comes along with that.

David Raubach: Yeah, I think he even made a video about it, you know, for TikTok or whatever, and just about, you know, increasing insurance.

Melissa Provenzano: And it was just offensive to me, but I think there was just this, you know, feminine rage that I’m like, “Oh, here we go.” You know, I’m going to — this is a marathon, not a sprint, and I’m going to keep going. And I went to speak to my leader and to the speaker, and just, you know, said right out of the gate, I would love to ask you to consider this for a veto override. And I had assurances that that would be definitely at the top of the list. And then you have everyone that is just shocked. And so I think I probably gave a hundred interviews.

David Raubach: Okay, that’s probably a little high.

Melissa Provenzano: But I gave a ton of interviews about the fact that he had vetoed. It wasn’t a good look.

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: And in that veto message, just the media bounce educated more women about the need. And I think probably every single district or county in the state had a woman or a man calling their legislator saying, “We need this overturned.” And when it came time to do the veto overrides, we were all called into an office if we wanted to make our case with the governor. I’m like, “Well, I already vetoed it, why would I do that?” You know, but all right, well, if you think it’ll help, and make more. And so I go in there and there’s one of his representatives, and I sat down, and I’m like, “Okay, House Bill 1389.” They’re like, “Yeah, we got you pro.” “Oh, no, we’ve heard from everyone.” “Yes, you’re fine, we’re not going to fight it.”

David Raubach: Okay.

Melissa Provenzano: You know, because what they could have done is, like, maybe I get it across in the House, but then they leverage something else in the Senate to not get it on the floor. And so we cleared that hurdle and got it done.

David Raubach: So, then I think I read that the actual veto override happened pretty late at night.

Melissa Provenzano: Oh, yes. Well, that actually didn’t much have to do with that particular bill.

David Raubach: Okay.

Melissa Provenzano: But because that was the last day of session.

David Raubach: Okay.

Melissa Provenzano: And we were — there was a lot of politics going on that day, and the governor said some things, the legislature said some things, and then we’re all like, what else can we override? And I think out of the 60-plus vetoes, we overrode like 47, I want to say.

David Raubach: Oh wow. Yeah, that’s a big one.

Melissa Provenzano: You know, and that’s just total insider baseball. He said some things about a senator’s wife that he shouldn’t have. And he threatened to primary all the Republicans, you know, if they didn’t do a certain thing. And that was very unifying.

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah. And they’re like, “Oh, no, you won’t.” And so I’m — and I’m just, I know that’s not the scope of this interview, but it’s just fascinating to see. And we actually also had a bill that was being held in the Senate because it didn’t have the votes, and we were waiting on a member to come back from Washington, D.C. to come in and vote on it.

David Raubach: Okay.

Melissa Provenzano: Because it lacked two votes, dealing with the National Guard.

David Raubach: Okay.

Melissa Provenzano: And so that, where we waited for hours, combined with the actions of the governor, just created Brenda having to present the bill like 10:30 at night.

David Raubach: Okay. Okay.

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah. Hard at work.

David Raubach: Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What — and so when does the bill go into effect?

Melissa Provenzano: November 1st.

David Raubach: November 1st. November 1st. Yeah. And so at that point, women should expect that if they’re referred for one of these additional diagnostic screenings — contrast-enhanced mammogram, and I think there’s a few others in there. And we’ll put a copy of the bill on the link to this podcast.

Melissa Provenzano: Definitely not chromosome enhanced. I cannot believe I said that.

David Raubach: We’ll figure it out. We’ll list those out in the link to the podcast. But, then they would be able to access those follow-up services without having to pay out of pocket, then, right?

Melissa Provenzano: And, I mean, you know, ex — the high deductible is still, okay, there’s still some exclusions, but most women should be able to experience an expansion of access. And, you know, I even, when the bill passed, I took it to the breast center at St. Francis, which is right next to my surgeon’s, and I’m like, I told you this would happen, but, you know, this has passed. And they’re like, we’re so pumped, we’ve been following it. And even within their own billing cycle and practices, they have been able to say, you know, this is coming, you know, but this is what is right now, so don’t put this off. You know, because we believe we can help you get it covered if we code it correctly, to women. And so, more women are getting tested, and so, hopefully, it’ll help.

David Raubach: Yeah. And I — when you talk about increasing costs—

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah.

David Raubach: It’s so interesting because I think I agree with what you’re saying, and I think Senator Stanley has the right approach, which is if you catch cancer earlier, we can do a better job treating it. Typically, we’re going to be more successful treating it, and a lot of times there’s less treatment required, right? And so, and it’s the treatments ultimately that are really expensive. I mean, when you talk about stage four prostate cancer, and that doesn’t surprise me to hear that her husband incurred millions of dollars in expenses. And so, why not cover 600 or 800 or 1,200, right, for an exam to potentially prevent—

Melissa Provenzano: That’s a lot of exams you could pay for.

David Raubach: Yeah. That would be offset by—

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah. They caught — mine was caught very early. It was four to five centimeters in diameter, very small. And my surgery was $44,000.

David Raubach: Oh, wow.

Melissa Provenzano: And then the follow-up chemo was $7,000 a treatment. And just to get my port removed was like $4,000. And now I have a Herceptin shot that I get once every three weeks. It’s a couple thousand dollars. It adds up, you know, and I just—

David Raubach: And that’s early detection.

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah. Right.

David Raubach: Right.

Melissa Provenzano: And there’s — there are millions of people in the United States that are in medical debt, and not by any fault of their own. Just the nature of this — of the system, right? And we actually had a piece of legislation that we tried to get through this last session that said, you know, medical debt cannot count against you on your credit report.

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: You know, because you can’t really control it, right? And even people who have socked away all the cash, it’ll be gone in a second, you know, if you’re spending it all on hospital bills.

David Raubach: So, I see that your hair is starting to grow back in. It looks good. Is it — does it look like it did before it fell out?

Melissa Provenzano: It does not.

David Raubach: Okay.

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah, that happens a lot. So my last treatment was at the very end of April, and I was like, well, so can I start really trying to pump this into, you know, high gear? And the oncologist was like, go for it. And I’m like, all right, give me the — Rogaine for women. Give me the Nutrafol vitamins. I want all of that. So I’m about four months out.

David Raubach: Okay.

Melissa Provenzano: And my hair is actually naturally curly and brown.

David Raubach: Wow.

Melissa Provenzano: You know, a lot of these colors. And it’s coming back in gray and black, but just as thick, and it’s starting to wave a bit. And so I’m a little terrified, you know, because it took me until 18 years of age to discover, like, hair gel. So I’m like, “Okay, I’m ready for it this time.” And just hair is a thing.

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: Hair is a — you know, it’s a big deal to women.

David Raubach: So, I agree. And we treat a lot of breast cancer at the Proton Center. And we actually have a charity that operates out of the Proton Center called Canci. And they provide wigs for patients. And, you know, it’s that moment in time where you start to lose your hair that a lot of times can be one of the more traumatic moments along the journey. So, what was that experience like for you? And then, also, if you don’t mind, talk a little bit about, for those that aren’t familiar, just that process that you have to go through to get a wig.

Melissa Provenzano: Oh my gosh. Yeah. Well, the experience itself, you kind of hope that you’re one of the — the ones that nothing happens to. There’s cold capping that you can do that may or may not work. That’s quite expensive. And so, choosing that or not choosing that — my husband and I, we decided we didn’t want to do it, because there was just no guarantee, you know. And when it starts to fall out, like, people wonder, when should I shave my head? You’ll know.

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: It’s a clear day when you run your hands through your hair, and it just comes out in clumps, and it keeps coming out in clumps, and you can’t brush all the loose strands away.

David Raubach: Wow.

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah. And so, you know, it’s time. And I actually had my hairdresser on speed dial. She knew the day would come, and she came in on her day off, and did it, and cut my hair very short. Actually a little bit shorter than it is now.

David Raubach: Okay.

Melissa Provenzano: Because I thought, naively, well, I’ll keep it at this length. And then my head — my husband, who had grown his hair out during COVID down to his shoulders, which was not, you know — he shaved his head, too.

David Raubach: Oh.

Melissa Provenzano: And so we both, been kind — and he had to cut his hair like five times, you know, and I’m like, I got one sprig right here. But I cut it really short, and then it was not like Cocker Spaniel clumps, it was Chihuahua, you know, and so I’m like, well, we’ve got to go ahead and shave the rest. And that’s when I donned the wig, and it was fairly easy. My insurance covers half the cost.

David Raubach: Okay.

Melissa Provenzano: So I was able to get a decent wig. Wigs have come a long way.

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: And so, I think I had it within a week when I ordered it. But just the wearing of it — so hot and uncomfortable and itchy, and is there a harsh wind, is it raining, is, you know, if you’re doing something, is it going to skew? And, you know, I could barely handle fake nails, so a fake head of hair was a challenge for me.

David Raubach: And wigs, it’s good to hear that your insurance covered half of the cost. Is that pretty typical, to have insurance—

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah, I don’t know the answer to that. I believe—

David Raubach: Well, actually, in Oklahoma, it’s state law.

Melissa Provenzano: Thank you. Thank you for asking.

David Raubach: That some portion of it has to be covered.

Melissa Provenzano: Good. So wigs can be expensive. A good wig is expensive, though. I mean, that’s another—

David Raubach: Yes.

Melissa Provenzano: Yes. And you have to care for it, otherwise — and by the end of session, mine was a little rough.

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: You know, but I got a nice one. And so, but I had any number of supporters. But it was important to me, because I thought about just not wearing one, right? But it was important to me, if I was going to be on the House floor, I look strong, right, and healthy.

David Raubach: Yep.

Melissa Provenzano: And, you know, there was the same gentleman who helped me get my bill on the floor. He goes, “I had no idea.” And I’m like, “Well, great, I could tell every day.” But I would go into my office and take a break.

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: And so, yeah.

David Raubach: So, now you mentioned you did surgery. Did you have to do radiation?

Melissa Provenzano: No, because I took the entire breast.

David Raubach: Okay. So you did surgery and then chemotherapy, and then, now the — I guess it would be technically hormone therapy.

Melissa Provenzano: No, actually it was — ER, or it was hormone-negative. It was HER2-positive. Okay, and so I think that’s the correct pronunciation. And so, I actually get a shot of Herceptin once every three weeks now. And it’s relatively new, like, right now. Right when I was supposed to start getting the infusion through my port, stopping chemo and just continuing with the Herceptin, I got something from the developers of the drug that said you can now get it as a shot. And I’m like, shoot, sign me up, because instead of having to do the port—

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: A hundred times faster. And so, got the port out, which was super weird, because I got to stay awake for that.

David Raubach: Oh wow.

Melissa Provenzano: But it was really cool, because, you know, I am a bit of a science geek, so I was like, “This is really cool, tell me exactly what you’re doing.” And the doctor was like, “I can’t believe I did this for you.”

David Raubach: Yeah. Yeah. You’re a special patient.

Melissa Provenzano: Sure. Sure.

David Raubach: So, what do you think needs to happen next from a legislative standpoint, as it pertains to maybe cancer specifically, or even healthcare more broadly? What are some things that you have on the horizon?

Melissa Provenzano: I mean, early screening period, okay, is for cancer is the game changer, and this bill will help. We also had a bill this session that required full coverage of genetic testing, the BRCA testing, and just having it be law is one thing — exercising the law is another, because most folks don’t know, you know. And so, you know, being able to come and talk here will reach a population of folks that might not otherwise hear it. And so the education piece. But then, you know, Komen and the Stone Brook Project has already said, okay, what’s next? And I think, really, lowering that age of when you can — how often you can get a mammogram, you know, and having the data to say, yeah, we need that. I think is, in my mind, what’s next.

David Raubach: And so if a constituent, whether it’s in your district or even probably in another district, because I think you’ve certainly demonstrated to be a passionate advocate for patients and patients’ rights.

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah.

David Raubach: So I think you would say reach out to you if people are running into concerns or issues getting access to healthcare or getting insurance to pay for—

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah. I think there’s a lot of concern with the federal changes coming with Medicaid.

David Raubach: Yes.

Melissa Provenzano: And I think there’s going to have to be some sort of response from the state of Oklahoma, if that funding is cut, you know, whether it’s next year, in 2027, or whatever ultimately shakes out. We’re well positioned, at least for a couple years, in the state of Oklahoma, with money that we’ve set aside to cover if it ever drops, because we do a 90/10 match.

David Raubach: Okay.

Melissa Provenzano: But we’re going to have to figure out something for the long haul after that.

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: And I think that’s going to be the number one, you know, who’s going to get booted off of SoonerCare, who’s going to not even be able to get insurance, beyond cancer. I think those are my top issues that worry about. I mean, if you get diagnosed with cancer and you don’t have insurance, I mean, that’s a battle that you don’t want anybody to have to face, you know, you don’t get offered certain things.

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: You know, and I mean, I got a letter saying, I have this new drug that you could take a shot instead of doing the traditional route, would you like to do it? The company will pay your co-pay.

David Raubach: Right.

Melissa Provenzano: But everybody won’t get that letter.

David Raubach: Right. Right. So, yeah. Well, thank you so much for joining us today. I really appreciate your time.

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah. No, this was amazing.

David Raubach: And, I don’t know, it’s just, again, working in the field of oncology and cancer screening, we need people like you in the state legislature advocating for patients and being public. I think you said one of the best things that happened with the 1389 bill was actually it being vetoed.

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah, because it just created so much organic awareness and so much passion.

David Raubach: Oh yes.

Melissa Provenzano: And it—

David Raubach: Yeah. Statewide.

Melissa Provenzano: Yeah. And so now, you know, if you live in Gin, you live in Hotown, Broken Bow, you live in Lawton, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, you are much more likely to have heard, you know, just because. And I was like, well, thank you, governor. You know, the fascinating thing, he didn’t invite me for a bill signing.

David Raubach: Oh, wow. Wow.

Melissa Provenzano: Ceremonial bill signing, you know, it’s like, where you get your picture, and then you save the pen that he signed it with. Whatever, that’s fine. Got the job done, is all I really care about.

David Raubach: Yeah. But it definitely raised the bar. He may hear from his wife at the house at some point.

Melissa Provenzano: So, I think he has a daughter or two.

David Raubach: So, I believe he has, from time to time. Yeah. Yeah. I’m sure. Well, again, thank you so much, and we wish you the best of luck, both you and your mom, with recovery from going through cancer.

Melissa Provenzano: And, yeah, her journey is a little different. She’s doing well, but because of her age, they didn’t do chemotherapy.

David Raubach: Okay.

Melissa Provenzano: They put her on the Taxol pill.

David Raubach: Okay.

Melissa Provenzano: And that does a number on you as well. And, yeah, the side effects are just—

David Raubach: Yeah.

Melissa Provenzano: It’s harsh. And so she’s like, “I’ll only do this many milligrams.” And they’re like, “Well, you should really do more.” She’s like, “73, get busy living.” I’m like, “Okay.”

David Raubach: Yeah. So, well, and you’re having to be a patient and a caretaker at the same time. And that’s—

Melissa Provenzano: Oh, no, she lives independently. You don’t have to — I mean, there is nobody going to — no person going to say this is how you should do things to my mother.

David Raubach: Good.

Melissa Provenzano: I will not be — family of strong women.

David Raubach: That’s great.

Melissa Provenzano: Yes. 100%.

David Raubach: Well, thank you so much again, Melissa. We really appreciate your time today.

Melissa Provenzano: Thank you. I appreciate you having me on and let me talk about this. This is good. Thank you.

David Raubach: All right.