right for them, they don’t need to wait for their doctor to approach them, so it’s a way to take charge of your treatment options while also being part of important research.
Do you have any personal experience with breast cancer?
RF: I am a Stage 3A Triple Negative Breast Cancer Survivor/Thriver. Before breast cancer, I was a typical “supermom” who took care of everyone but myself – I was the breadwinner for my family as well as the rainmaker for my advertising agency in Atlanta. Although I was always vigilant about my annual checkups, the summer I was diagnosed I was so busy with the hustle and bustle of work and family that I postponed the appointment and went later with my daughter. After finding a small lump in my breast and sending a sample of that tissue in for a biopsy, my doctor called to tell me the news just as I was leaving for a two-week business trip to the west coast.
As I researched the prognosis of my Stage 3A Triple Negative Breast Cancer diagnosis, suddenly my hectic life came to a screeching halt. I had a double mastectomy by choice, did six rounds of chemo and six weeks of radiation. Almost exactly a year after my diagnosis, my doctor discovered a recurrence and told me I likely had 2 years to live. I did another course of chemo with drugs that were experimental for TNBC at the time. Miraculously, when I went into implant surgery, the cancer was gone – God intervened, and I’m still here today, recently celebrating ten years cancer free.
My breast cancer diagnosis changed my entire life. I quit my corporate job, downsized and started my own company all between my second and third rounds of chemo. I realized I was given a second chance at life and finally began prioritizing myself. I had to learn that my peace is non-negotiable and get all of the cancers out of my life, not just the cancer in my body. Since then, I’ve founded TOUCH, the Black Breast Cancer Alliance and dedicated my life to advocacy and attacking Black Breast Cancer, which is its own unique disease.
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Anything else you’d like to add?
VS: With a 42% higher mortality rate for Black breast cancer patients than white breast cancer patients, the racial disparities in research and care are no mere coincidence. The medical field severely lacks adequate data to address these disparities. To conduct the necessary research to acquire this data, we must continue to foster trust between Black women and clinical researchers. There is no better time to illuminate the racial disparities in breast cancer treatment and research.
RF: Now is the time to change the narrative surrounding racial disparities in breast cancer treatment and research. My hope is that through this work, Black women are empowered to advocate for their treatment and begin to make their health a kitchen table conversation. We need to teach the healthcare industry how to reach and touch Black women specifically with their messaging so that we can gather the data necessary to eradicate this deadly disease.
For more information, visit ciitizen.com/TouchClinicalTrials
