MY LIFE Matters - 5

SURVIVOR PERSPECTIVE

me if she wasn't taken so soon. I can't
help thinking that if there was better
support for Black women, she would
be here today.
My personal motivation is to continue advocating and educating the
Black community about the differences
of early stage and Metastatic Breast
Cancer. More Black women need to
survive and thrive in the same way
White women do.
We need to educate early stage
Black people on the importance of
advocating not just for themselves but
definitely for Black Metastatic Breast
Cancer patients and let them know
it's not contagious. I also feel we need
to change the narrative in the medical community with regards to them
telling patients they are cancer-free.
Too many early stage patients go about
their lives and have no clue about Metastatic Breast Cancer until they receive
the diagnosis. We also don't get enough
education on prevention, health and
wellness, and a medically guided peer
support community.
Before Black breast cancer survivors
can advocate for their Black Metastatic
Breast cancer friends, we need to be
educated on all stages and subtypes of
breast cancer. Too many early stagers
have the mindset that they are "cancer
free". For them it's "not their problem"
when in fact it can definitely become
their problem because we know that
30% of early stage breast cancer go on
to become Metastatic.
Next time I go for my follow up care
with my medical team, when they tell
me I don't need to worry about "this"
or "that" because I'm "cancer free",
my response to them will be " but am
I really?".

Metastatic & Black

"Too many early stagers have the mindset that they
are "cancer free". For them it's 'not their problem'
when in fact it can definitely become their problem
because we know that 30% of early stage breast
cancer go on to become Metastatic."
- Roberta A Albany

ROBE RTA A A L BA N Y, C A NC E R I N T H E
K NOW, FOU N DE R /C E O
METASTATIC CANCERS
OCTOBER 2020

5
MY LIFE Matters

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MY LIFE Matters
