MY LIFE Matters: TNBC Patient Voices Issue 2022 - 19

A Q&A ON TNBC Conversation
these challenges, she feels like she is
getting stronger every day.
When Kelli learned that her cancer
had mutated into triple-negative during
the summer of 2021, she was devastated.
She told me " I knew how much
that changed my trajectory . . . I had to
learn quickly how it's different, why it's
different, and why we need more funding
directed toward TNBC. " She went
on to share that she also wishes there
were more targeted support resources
available to people with TNBC, and I
know she is not alone in feeling that way.
" Twitter chats, support groups specific
to TNBC, or even a hotline where people
could call just to talk to someone; it
can be very isolating, " she went on to
explain. We bonded over our mutual
memories of how simply saying the letters
" TNBC " to people causes a visceral
reaction. " Triple-negative is the one you
don't want-especially metastatic, " Kelli
shared. She continued, " . . . it remains
that reclusive beast that is so aggressive
yet so difficult to treat. " For this reason,
as well as many more, triple-negative
breast cancer needs more research, more
funding, and more support.
What blew me away about Kelli is her
undeniable love for helping others. She
said so beautifully and so simply that
helping others is her therapy. " It takes
away from the enormity of my disease
and the fact that I have to live with this
every day, " she shared. She went on to
explain that although she may seem
positive now, it didn't always come this
easily to her. In fact, she has walked
through very dark times, causing her to
spend some time in a rehab facility. She
said that she finally realized that she had
a lot of life left to live. When asked what
support Kelli has found the most helpful,
you could almost hear the smile in her
voice as she answered, " My fiancé, Justin
. . . he has been with me since day one
and has done things a fiancé should never
have to do. I feel so blessed to have found
him, I can't even tell you how lucky I feel
to have him and how much I adore him. "
Kelli shared that she had the phrase
" not today " tattooed on her wrist. As
she said this, the goosebumps on my
arms became visible. She said " the tattoo
reminds me that maybe one day I will
" The tattoo reminds me that maybe one day
I will die from breast cancer, but as long
as I can see that tattoo, it's not today. "
die from breast cancer, but as long as I
can see that tattoo, it's not today. " She
explained that she looks at it every day
as a reminder. She paused and then said,
" as long as I can see that tattoo, I can
make something good [happen] today. "
If that isn't inspiring, I don't know what
is. I applauded her positive attitude and
she told me that while it took a while
to get there, she got there, and that's all
that matters.
From the beginning, Kelli said that she
had to learn to advocate for herself. She
told me that she was never one to speak
up and that she has always been fairly
quiet, but that after being diagnosed
with cancer she had to change. " I knew
right away that I had to change the way
I operated to get [the things] I needed
to get done-not only to advocate for
myself, but to advocate for others out
there, " she said. Kelli has accomplished
some pretty amazing things when it
comes to advocating for metastatic breast
cancer. She shared her story in front of
Congress with the Tigerlily Foundation
MY LIFE MATTERS
TNBC PATIENT VOICES ISSUE 2022
19
MY LIFE Matters: TNBC Patient Voices Issue 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MY LIFE Matters: TNBC Patient Voices Issue 2022
