Breast cancer is the No. 1 cancer killer of Latinas in the U.S. Fortunately, Latinas can take steps to reduce their own risk for breast cancer, and community and healthcare leaders can promote prevention, screening, and early detection. To celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) and Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15), let’s use #SaludTues on Oct. 1, 2019, to tweet about the latest progress in Latina breast cancer research, the importance of breast cancer screening, and tips for prevention and survivorship! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: How to Address Breast Cancer among Latinas
DATE/TIME: Noon CST (1 p.m. ET) Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludAmerica
CO-HOSTS: National Hispanic Medical Association ...
By Jennifer Thomas
San Antonio, Texas, Cancer Survivor I had just turned 39 when I reached over my shoulder to turn off a lamp, and in so doing, felt a funny “spot” on my breast. Having no history of cancer in my family, I can’t say that was my first thought. But since it WAS October—Breast Cancer Awareness Month—I did call my husband into the living room to see if he felt it as well. This was late January of 2006. Despite being told by everyone the spot was “probably nothing,” I got it checked out and was diagnosed with Stage 1 IDC, fast-growing (grade 3) by the first week of February. I don’t remember getting a second opinion, doing any research, or even asking what my options were. I just know that a week after being diagnosed, I was in surgery ...
By Cynthia Delgado
San Antonio, Texas, Cancer Survivor At age 43, I was living a life that consisted of routine exercise, healthy eating, and at the weight I had always wanted to be. I had been seeing a breast surgeon routinely every 3 months for at least 1-and-a-half years because I had fibrocystic breast. Mammograms were a part of my life since my early 20s because I always had lumps, i.e., cysts. The older I got, the more cysts would develop. They would grow very big and would be excruciating painful for a minimum of 10 minutes. Because I started getting anywhere from 5-10 cysts on each side, my OBGYN referred me to a specialist. It became routine for the specialist to aspirate them every 3 months, and they would pop up in different places. On May 15, 2015, I went for my ...
Latinas and black women may face increased risks of developing triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC), according to a study published in Cancer. These forms are often aggressive and do not respond to hormone therapy or targeted therapy. These latest findings solidify known cancer development disparities, which continue to grow amongst Latinos, other racial/ethnic minority groups, and young women.
Breast Cancer Inequities Dr. Lia Scott, of the Georgia State University School of Public Health, and her team studied all available diagnosed breast cancer cases from 2010 to 2014 using the U.S. Cancer Statistics database. It consists of a population-based surveillance system of cancer registries with numbers representing 99% of the U.S. population. "With the advent and ...
By Brenda Garza
Austin, Texas, Cancer Survivor I moved to Detroit, Michigan, newlywed to an engineer, in 2003. Because we moved during December we didn’t do many outdoor activities or exercise something that we used to do in Mexico all the time. Gabe and I met at a spinning class and we became boyfriend and girlfriend after few dates. We both loved the outdoors. We were very excited about new opportunity and challenge to live in a new country but we definitely weren’t ready for such long, harsh winters in North America. But once spring and summer began, we were happy doing outdoor activities like cycling. Michigan has beautiful state parks, with water, hills, hiking trails, biking trails and green vegetation, something we didn’t have in Mexico. We soon learned to ...
By Kimberly Hernandez
San Antonio Cancer Survivor One night exactly one month after my 31st birthday, I was taking off my bra getting ready for bed and felt a lump. I told my ex wife about it and told me “don’t worry, it’s probably fatty tissue”. I knew it was something more and could tell it was different. We know our bodies. The next day I called my family doctor and made an appointment. When I went in, the physician assistant felt the lump. She asked the usual questions about my age and family history. There is no family history of cancer in my family and she did not think much of it but if I wanted to pursue further testing she would set it up. We proceeded to mammograms, sonograms, x-rays, scans and biopsies within a week’s time. A lot of the time entering the ...
By Erika Zamarripa
San Antonio Cancer Survivor There is that "C" word again. Cancer can be defined as a "disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body." Or it also can be defined as a "practice or phenomenon perceived to be evil or destructive and hard to contain or eradicate." Whatever you want to call it, it sucks. I was diagnosed with Stage 2 ER positive breast cancer at the age of 32 on Dec. 18, 2013. My twin boys were only 9 years old at the time and I was working at H-E-B Pharmacy. I remember one day taking a shower and I felt a lump on my breast. This lump hurt when I touched it and the longer, I felt it, the more I started to worry. I called my gynecologist and made an appointment. He felt it and sent me for a mammogram and an ...
By Yvette Pavon
San Antonio Cancer Survivor At the age of 42, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was found after my very first mammogram. Never did I think that a check up that I had scheduled only because it was something that women did when they got older, would discover I had cancer. I had no symptoms. When my gynecologist shared the news with me in her office, I think I was in complete denial. I mean I went for this mammogram on my own free will, not because of my doctor's concern. I remember going to dinner that night with my father, stepmother, and newly boyfriend. I wasn't scared when talking about it. I knew letting my mind run wild would not help, so I talked to God that night. "God, please give me the strength and courage that I need to get through ...
By Amy Perez
San Antonio Cancer Survivor Just after my 22nd birthday while putting on tanning lotion, I noticed a hard lump in my chest that I hadn’t noticed before. My mom works at MD Anderson in Houston, so I told her about the lump as soon as I noticed it, and she helped me get an appointment to get the lump checked out. My cancer was far enough along to where there was no waiting for results. They told me before I left the hospital that day that I had cancer. I began chemo right away but my body was resistant to it. At the end of 6 months of chemo my tumor was 10x larger than when I had started. My doctors told me that I was inoperable, which is pretty hard news at just 22. As if having cancer and struggling with treatment wasn’t hard enough, I also had an ...
