MY LIFE Matters: TNBC Patient Voices Issue 2022 - Cover2
Conversation LETTER FROM NICK GIALLOURAKIS
THE TNBC ISSUE
T
NICK GIALLOURAKIS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ELEPHANTS AND TEA
riple-Negative Breast Cancer or TNBC, are four
devastating words no one ever wants to hear they
are diagnosed with. In this latest collaboration with
our friends at Tigerlily Foundation, this issue of MY
LIFE Matters focuses on stories and information for
the TNBC community.
I would like to share a story that goes back to the days before
COVID (yes, that was a thing). I was fortunate enough to attend
the Young Survivors Coalition (YSC) Summit in Austin,
Texas with my mother. We had just launched Elephants and
Tea and we were very much focused on getting our messaging
out to help people feel less alone in facing cancer. We had a
booth in the exhibit hall, so we were right in the middle of the
busy crowd of amazing humans.
I also need to add that we had never been to an in-person
conference focused on breast cancer. My experience at YSC
was breathtaking. What I experienced was nothing I have ever
seen or felt at any other conference.
The comradery and bond that was instantly felt by all those
attending was something that I was truly moved by. There
was one young woman who was missing most of her hair and
looking very lost and scared. She was slowly walking up and
down the exhibit hall hesitant to ask any questions or draw to
much attention to herself. Another individual who seemed a
littler older with a smoothly shaved head, goes and puts her
arm around the young woman. They just talk for a few seconds
and then embrace each other as if they were long lost family
members finding each other for the first time. They then
walked up and down the aisles of the exhibit hall, the older
woman leading the way and introducing the younger woman
to several people. The younger woman began to smile and feel
more comfortable being at the summit.
What I came to realize was that these two individuals I saw
coming together were TNBC survivors and thrivers. One was
just getting out of treatment (the younger woman) and the
older woman was metastatic. The younger woman was white,
and the older woman was black. Race did not matter here.
Where these two were from did not matter here. TNBC was
the only thing that mattered here, and a new friendship was
born because of this terrible disease.
I have now come to personally know several people facing
TNBC. Like those I met at YSC's summit, some were in
remission, some with no evidence of disease, some were
in treatment, and some were metastatic. Regardless of
where each of these individuals are in facing TNBC, this
is a tight-knit community within the cancer world, and
they stick by each other. I am not saying that other cancer
communities do not stick by each other, but something is
just different in the TNBC community. One that is truly
hard to explain unless you witness it firsthand.
For those reading this and saying to themselves, " Nick,
what makes TNBC so different? " Here is one major reason
which the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) do a great job of explaining.
" Triple-Negative Breast Cancer is a kind of breast cancer
that does not have any of the receptors that are commonly
found in breast cancer. "
The CDC goes on to show this example: " Think of cancer
cells as a house. The front door may have three kinds
of locks, called receptors.
One is for the female hormone estrogen.
One is for the female hormone progesterone.
One is a protein called human epidermal growth factor. If
your cancer has any of these three locks, doctors have a few
keys (like hormone therapy or other drugs) they can use to
help destroy the cancer cells. But if you have triple-negative
breast cancer, it means those three locks aren't there. So,
doctors have fewer keys for treatment. " *
In this latest collaboration with our friends at Tigerlily
Foundation, we have some fantastic articles and powerful
stories. As always, I would like to thank all the contributors
in this magazine for being vulnerable in sharing their
own experiences to help others know they are not alone
in facing TNBC. Storytelling is a powerful tool to be used
in building community. It takes a Herd to help each other
face cancer and we are honored once again to partner with
Tigerlily Foundation in producing this newest edition of
the MY LIFE Matters magazine. l
- Nick
SOURCE:
*Tripe-Negative Breast Cancer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (page last reviewed September 20, 2021). https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/triplenegative.htm#:~:text=What%20Is%20Triple%2DNegative%20Breast,for%20the%20female%20hormone%20estrogen.
Accessed August 24, 2022.
https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/triple-negative.htm#:~:text=What%20Is%20Triple%2DNegative%20Breast,for%20the%20female%20hormone%20estrogen.
https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/triplenegative.htm#:~:text=What%20Is%20Triple-Negative%20Breast,for%20the%20female%20hormone%20estrogen
https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/triplenegative.htm#:~:text=What%20Is%20Triple-Negative%20Breast,for%20the%20female%20hormone%20estrogen
https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/triple-negative.htm#:~:text=WhatIsTriple%2DNegativeBreast,forthefemalehormoneestrogen
MY LIFE Matters: TNBC Patient Voices Issue 2022
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MY LIFE Matters: TNBC Patient Voices Issue 2022
Contents
MY LIFE Matters: TNBC Patient Voices Issue 2022 - Cover1
MY LIFE Matters: TNBC Patient Voices Issue 2022 - Cover2
MY LIFE Matters: TNBC Patient Voices Issue 2022 - 1
MY LIFE Matters: TNBC Patient Voices Issue 2022 - Contents
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MY LIFE Matters: TNBC Patient Voices Issue 2022 - 4
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MY LIFE Matters: TNBC Patient Voices Issue 2022 - Cover3
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