MY LIFE Matters: TNBC Patient Voices Issue 2022 - 9

MY LIFE ANGEL Advocate
diagnosed with a totally different type
of cancer, and therefore, changed my
treatment plan and my surgery options
as well. It is worth it, especially if you
don't feel comfortable with the original
diagnosis. I did feel a bit better because
my entire treatment plan changed when
I was diagnosed with TNBC, giving
me more options. As with my original
diagnosis, TNBC is still classified as
an aggressive form of cancer with very
few targeted treatments.
This led me to want to learn more
about it and how it would affect me as
well as other Women of Color. I wanted
to change the outcome for women
who had to live with this diagnosis, so
becoming an advocate was important.
Although we have a way to go in understanding
and treating TNBC, I feel like
we are moving in the right direction.
Last year, immunotherapy was approved
for TNBC and I was given the
option to try it. Although there is not
much data yet, I decided to move forward
with adding it to my post-treatment.
This gives me hope that women
can have more treatment options. The
opportunity was presented to me by my
oncologist who highly recommended
that I do immunotherapy and wanted
me to try it out despite the lack lot of
studies showing its impact post-treatment.
Because I was on the cusp when
immunotherapy was approved, we both
felt like this might be groundbreaking.
It was great to know that my oncologist
wanted this for me.
Becoming a Tigerlily ANGEL Advocate
allowed me to become more educated
on breast cancer. Being diagnosed
is very scary, but not being educated
on it is even scarier because you don't
really know how to advocate for yourself
and others.
The information that I received as
an ANGEL Advocate has helped me
ask the right questions to my doctors.
Not only that, but it also drove me to
pursue a career in breast health. Today,
I can use my passion for advocacy to
help people affected by breast cancer
in so many ways.
Bringing awareness to those who
have not been diagnosed is also impactful
because I was once in their shoes
MY LIFE MATTERS
TNBC PATIENT VOICES ISSUE 2022
9
This is what it is all for, helping
the next person to get through a
very tough journey!
thinking that this could never happen
to me. My vision as I move forward is
to help as many people as possible who
have been impacted by breast cancer
to help them to learn more about the
disease and how they can reach better
outcomes.
I believe there are a lot of organizations
moving in the right direction and
addressing how they plan to help end
disparities. I am a firm believer that
if one of us is not well then the entire
collective is not well. We must all stand
up to disparities and work together to
get to the root of it. We can no longer
just talk about it; we must start taking
action. I am proud of those organizations
that are making it their mission
to change the way we address the issues
that affect communities that are impacted
the most by this type of cancer.
Even if I was diagnosed with a different
type of breast cancer, my life would
be the same. Any diagnosis is scary, and
it changes you completely.
Being diagnosed with TNBC, which
is known to be a more aggressive type
of breast cancer, opened me up to being
super vigilant about working with my
oncologist on the best plan of action.
MY LIFE Matters: TNBC Patient Voices Issue 2022

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