Brittney Millard: Advocating for Patients and Persevering Through Breast Cancer

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Cancer can be many things.

Some describe cancer as a journey, a struggle, or a fight.

For Brittney Millard, a breast cancer diagnosis was a life-changing event that gave her the passion to advocate for other cancer survivors.

“It’s really what’s in your heart. You can advocate for people you know in your daily life, just spreading awareness and taking initiative,” Millard said.

Millard, 32, an intern at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, still faced many hardships with her cancer experience.

But now she aims to help others avoid pitfalls she went through.

Let’s learn more about her inspiring story and her goals for advocating for others.

A Major Life Change

A native of San Antonio, Millard described her childhood as difficult.

Growing up, she didn’t have a strong relationship with her mother and was separated from her father. But today, she says she and her dad have a close, loving relationship.

“Because of that experience, I’m definitely very resourceful, independent, and resilient,” Millard said.

Millard later became a mother herself. She attended college full-time while raising her daughter.

However, she started to feel an unusual, constant pain on an area of her breast.

“My only symptom was pain, and I was very fortunate to have an amazing OBGYN who instantly referred me to get an ultrasound of the area,” Millard said. “I definitely did not assume that it had anything to do with cancer. I thought that maybe it was like a cyst or a fibroid, you know, maybe something going on with hormones.”

The ultrasound results found a mass.

In September 2023, Millard was officially diagnosed with breast cancer.

“I knew right away when my doctor, my OBGYN, called me on the phone, I just instinctively knew that it was cancer,” Millard said.

Advocating for Her Cancer Care

News of a cancer diagnosis can raise a lot of other issues, like weighing treatment options, finding a care team, and accessing resources and support.

For Millard, she didn’t have help immediately following her diagnosis.

“I didn’t have a medical team to support me. I didn’t have a patient navigator, you know, walking me through the steps to make sure that I get coverage and that I get my appointment at the cancer center,” Millard said.

While it was taxing, Millard did her homework and asked hard questions.

She pushed for the care that she needed.

“I really had to advocate for myself. I literally had to fight. Resources came later down the line, but in the beginning, I really did have to do everything for myself,” Millard said.

Finding Out about Her Breast Cancer Gene Mutation

Millard’s doctor also told her she had the breast cancer gene (BRCA gene) mutation.

Every human has both the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are two different genes that have been found to impact a person’s chances of developing breast cancer.

“When a BRCA gene is mutated, it may no longer be effective at repairing broken DNA and helping to prevent breast cancer. Because of this, people with a BRCA gene mutation are more likely to develop breast cancer, and more likely to develop cancer at a younger age,” according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Millard also didn’t consider how family history plays a role in cancer diagnoses.

If you have a family history of breast, ovarian, uterine, or colorectal cancer, you may have a higher risk for developing these cancers,” according to the CDC.

Her maternal grandmother was also diagnosed with breast cancer at an early age.

“I was completely shocked, because even with that knowledge, I really didn’t know anything about cancer, what it is, what it does in the body. Just hearing the word cancer was very scary for me,” Millard said.

Millard met with a genetic counselor to talk more about her BRCA gene mutation.

“My counselor told me, because of my family history, I should have been getting annual breast imaging in my 20s,” she said. “And I should have received genetic testing at age 18.”

“Most importantly, had I known I had the genetic mutation, I could have dramatically reduced my risk of getting breast cancer through surgical intervention. It is so important to know your family history and get genetic testing.”

Continuing Her Cancer Care, With Support

Once Brittney began receiving cancer care at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, she received help from a social worker.

“[My social worker] was very amazing and very helpful in many different ways, especially with locating different financial resources,” Millard said.

But that wasn’t her only source of aid.

Millard also spoke of her faith and how she found support and motivation following her baptism, involvement with her church, and focusing on her relationship with Jesus.

“Ever since then, I’ve just been filled with an unexplainable amount of peace,” Millard said.

Millard’s family were also a large source of support for her during this time, ensuring they were there for her during treatment.

“My family that lives out of town were also able to take a lot of time away from their personal lives and help me when I had surgery and when I was going through chemotherapy,” Millard said.

Millard underwent a double mastectomy in November 2023, a day before turning 32.

In February 2024, she began chemotherapy and concluded it in June. She rang the bell, post-chemotherapy, with much joy.

“Though I’m finished with chemotherapy, I was offered a targeted therapy, which I agreed to. So, I will be taking an oral medication called LYNPARZA,” Millard said.  “It’s a PARP inhibitor. I’ll be on that for a year to also help reduce my risk of recurrence.”

Finding a Passion in Community Health  

Helping patients and the community is something Millard wanted to pursue.

“I initially was interested in community health because I really wanted to help women that are victims of domestic violence,” she said. “Since I was one and I escaped domestic violence in 2020.”

“I really do want to help them. And now, I guess my passions have really evolved since, you know, going through a cancer diagnosis, I also have a lot of passion towards helping those that have been diagnosed with cancer.”

Millard is working on getting her associates of applied science in community health, along with her community health worker certification.

She also sought an internship.

“We were provided a list of different agencies to choose from and contact if we were interested in an internship, and the IHPR [at UT Health San Antonio] specifically stood out to me because of the involvement helping people with chronic disease, and especially cancer patients, breast cancer patients,” Millard said.

Coincidentally, Millard had previously participated in an IHPR clinical research study.

So far, Millard describes her IHPR internship as “rewarding.” She is inspired by helping and supporting patients as well as coming up with ideas for patient and community outreach.

“I’ve gotten a lot of insight into the world of clinical research and public health, community outreach, health promotion, health education, which I’ve really enjoyed,” Millard said.

Advocating for Others

While she has had to advocate for herself, Millard urges others to speak up to find the right resources and support in their cancer journey.

“You have to keep calling. You have to keep trying. You have to try different numbers, different locations to get that information,” she said.

Today, Millard wants to ensure others find support and resources.

She wants to be an advocate for other cancer survivors.

“[Advocating is] something I definitely feel that all of us should do,” Millard said.

While her journey wasn’t always easy, Millard always tries to have gratitude.

“Sometimes, when we’re overwhelmed by a diagnosis like breast cancer, it can be very difficult to appreciate the small things in life, but gratitude and positivity really does make a difference,” Millard said.

Similarly, Millard stressed the importance of doing research and knowing what resources are available for patients.

“Cancer is very unpredictable, and you don’t know how long it may take to heal from a surgery or how many complications may occur. So, it’s important to be aware of the resources available to you and take advantage of those,” she said.

While everyone is impacted by cancer differently, Millard maintains a positive attitude and urges others to try their best to do the same.

“Don’t let cancer define you. You’re more than cancer. Your diagnosis does not define who you are, try not to let cancer overrun and take over your life,” she said.

The Importance of Clinical Research

Like Millard, you can help other cancer survivors by participating in clinical trials.

Clinical trials are studies with volunteers that explore ways to find, prevent, and treat diseases. The Salud America! program is uplifting open clinical trials, sharing stories about Latinos who have participated, and more.

“Latinos who participate in clinical trials have the potential to help themselves and contribute to the development of new treatments for people in the future,” said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of Salud America! at the IHPR at UT Health San Antonio.

Those looking for clinical trial opportunities based in San Antonio can search the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio’s Find a Clinical Trial database to learn more about available clinical trials and eligibility requirements.

On a national level, visit clinicaltrials.gov to find a clinical trial near you.

FIND A CLINICAL TRIAL!