By Maegan Molnar
Breast Cancer Survivor in San Antonio I was only 26 years old when I was diagnosed with stage 2 triple negative breast cancer. My world flipped upside down when I came across a lump during my very first breast exam just three weeks before my wedding. I had nine rounds of IV chemo before we realized it wasn’t working. I then had to stop treatment, have a lumpectomy, and then completely restart a different IV chemo regimen. I then had a double mastectomy with DIEP reconstruction followed up 9 rounds of an oral chemo therapy. To say I was exhausted when it was over would be a complete understatement. To say I was naive when I thought it was over would be completely accurate. This May will be 5 years since my diagnosis. I cannot imagine trying to add up the ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, discussed Latina breast cancer in a livestream interview for the Alamo Breast Cancer Foundation at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium on Dec. 7, 2020. Watch the full interview (in Spanish). Ramirez has led Latina-focused breast cancer research for over 20 years. She has studied patient navigation, genetic testing, clinical trials, quality of life, and survivorship issues. "Cancer prevention is a critical way to save people’s lives today," said Ramirez, who also hosts the biannual Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos conference. "If we applied what we know works through prevention, we could reduce cancer by half."
Dr. Ramirez & Her Healthy Equity Research
Ramirez is an ...
By Myra Camino
Breast Cancer Survivor in San Antonio I am a 42 year-old mother of two beautiful little boys (6 and 9 years old). I am a wife and have been married for 11 years to the love of my life Richard. I have been a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters for over 15 years. I am currently mentoring my third little sister. Because of my work as a mentor I was chosen as the 2018 National Big Sister of the Year for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. In August of 2016, at the age of 37, I was diagnosed with stage 3 invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) breast cancer. After 16 rounds of chemo I was re-diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. The cancer had spread to my spine. I was fortunate enough to have the cyberknife radiation, which took care of the cancer in my ...
Breast cancer affects different women differently. That's why the Breast Friends Forever (BFF) support group enables young breast cancer survivors to share their experiences in San Antonio, Texas (64% Latino). Recently, some BFF leaders joined the "Health Conversations with Anna Smith" Podcast. They talked about the need for the group and its origins in celebration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. These include: Sandra L. San Miguel, BFF co-founder and program director at the National Cancer Institute; Brenda Garza, BFF co-founder and a survivor; Stanlie Murray, BFF executive director and a survivor; and Erica Ann De Zaiffe, BFF member and a survivor. Listen to the podcast Part 1 and Part 2. "BFF was a pioneer in those days, combining outreach and education activities with ...
Breast cancer doesn’t impact every women the same. Among Latinas, breast cancer is the No. 1 cancer killer. Many Latinas face unique survivorship journeys, shaped by cultural and spiritual beliefs and struggles with barriers to care, screening, patient-doctor communication, and other social determinants of health. To recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October), let’s use #SaludTues on Oct. 27, 2020, to tweet about the latest progress in Latina breast cancer data and research, the importance of breast cancer screening, and tips and stories for prevention and survivorship! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat “How to Reduce Breast Cancer and Improve Survivorship among Latinas”
WHERE: Twitter
WHEN: 1-2 p.m. ET (12-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020
HOST: Salud ...
By Tanya Enriquez DelValle
Breast Cancer Survivor in San Antonio Five years after being diagnosed with breast cancer at age 27, I got my first tattoo…the energizer bunny with the pink ribbon on the drum. I was going to keep going and going. Here I am now 50 and still cancer free! I have an incredible life. I am a counselor at Legacy of Educational Excellence (LEE) High School, married to the man of my dreams for 15 years, and excited about the next adventure in my life. Twenty-three years ago, on Nov. 21, 1997, my world changed when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I remember asking my doctors if I was going to die. They said, "Not anytime soon." That was all I needed to hear. From that point forward I decided that cancer was NOT going to get the best of me. ...
By Harmenia "Mimi" Frazier White
Breast Cancer Survivor My journey began in 2015 when I was diagnosed with stage 3b invasive breast cancer. For years prior to the diagnosis, I was misdiagnosed and told that I had fibrocystic breast disease. If I didn't finally want to know what was going on with my body, I wouldn't be here today. Once I was diagnosed, I went into chemotherapy for 5 months and got married right after I finished. In July 2016 I got a double mastectomy and lymph node removal next, followed by 3 months of radiation. The next year, I had to get a salpingo oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes). At this point, cancer had taken nearly everything from me. Luckily, it didn't take my spirit or my strong will to live. I fought hard to maintain this ...
By Julie Moser
Military Spouse, Breast Cancer Advocate
Founder, Executive Director, PWATX October 28, 2013, is a date that will always be one that will be remembered without thinking about it. You know, like a birth date or wedding anniversary. October 28, 2013, is the day I became a survivor. When the doctor said the words: “You have cancer." On the early morning of my husband’s third deployment send-off, I noticed a brown line under my left breast after a shower. It looked like I had burned my skin with a curling iron. My husband said that it probably wasn’t a big deal as long as I didn’t feel any lumps. I didn’t tell him I felt something but told him that I would get it checked out later in the day with my primary care physician. My doctor found three ...
By Ursula Garcia
Texas Cancer Survivor I was a young, healthy 27-year-old, who had just recently moved to Grapevine, Texas, with my fiancé. Around that time I noticed a lot of bloody nipple discharge from my left side. Being young and healthy and with no family history, I kept going on with life as if nothing could be wrong. The following month it was time for my annual exam. I mentioned it to my doctor. A swab of the discharge was done. But nothing abnormal came back. So again I went on as if there was nothing to be concerned about. About a month later the symptoms became worse. I was bleeding a lot easier and the amount seemed to be getting worse. My fiancé noticed and said something didn't seem right and I should probably see a doctor. I immediately called my doctor ...
