By Maria Teresa Guzman
San Antonio Cancer Survivor Sometimes it seems like it was yesterday that I first heard the word "Breast Cancer." But the reality is it has already been 3 years since I was all alone spending a Valentine’s Day in the midst of needles and nurses. You see, at 38 years old I started with a sudden stabbing pain in my breast that would not go away. I had it for a month, not really wanting to pay attention to the signals my body was giving me until I felt a lump. It would have been easy to let fear win, but I took the hardest road and picked up the phone to call my doctor. Within two days I had an exam, and a biopsy it was at that moment that the doctor said, “It is Valentine’s Day and I’m sorry you have to spend your day here in pain but I ...
By Jill Folkman
San Antonio Cancer Survivor I was diagnosed with Stage One ER+/PR+ Her2 Negative DCIS in September of 2016. I was devastated, scared and had no idea what I was in for. I thought my life was going to be short lived and was talking to God the whole time to give me strength. My oncologist at the time recommended a bilateral mastectomy and because of the placement of the tumor I had to have the left nipple removed. I opted for a skin sparing, with both nipples removed, bilateral mastectomy with expanders so that I could get reconstruction after chemo. Good news was, the pathology showed my lymph nodes came back clear. Once I was healed from the surgery I had 4 rounds of chemo and no radiation. I lost all of my hair and all the fun stuff that goes along with chemo. ...
By Sally Diaz
San Antonio Cancer Survivor On May 5, 2014, just 6 days before Mother’s Day, my world came crashing down. I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Triple Negative Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. I noticed my lump on accident while waking up from bed and stretching. I was 42, married, and a mother of a 10-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy. I tested negative for genetic testing and I had no history of breast cancer in my family. Within two weeks of my diagnosis my roller coaster ride had begun and I was admitted into the hospital so that a medi-port could be implanted in my chest for chemotherapy. My life has never been the same. As a mother diagnosed with cancer, the first thought that comes to your mind is your children and the fear that you will not be there for ...
Interactive videos featuring real Latina cancer survivors talking about clinical trials can help Latina breast cancer patients consider trials as a treatment option, according to a new pilot study led by Dr. Amelie Ramirez of UT Health San Antonio. The study, published in Translation Behavioral Medicine, tested the videos with 77 Latina breast cancer patients at Mays Cancer Center. Researchers randomly assigned 39 Latinas to a control group and 38 to a test group. Then test group received "Choices," a 30-minute interactive educational video program in English or Spanish about clinical trials and common barriers (delivered on a computer in the clinic). "Choices" also included a bilingual booklet and access to a patient navigator for care coordination. Control participants received ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, a top cancer researcher and director of Salud America! and the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, today was named one of 12 new "Komen Scholars" by Susan G. Komen, the world’s largest non-profit funder of breast cancer research. Komen Scholars are an advisory group of distinguished leaders in breast cancer research and leadership. Each scholar—chosen for their knowledge, leadership, and contributions to breast cancer research—will help guide Komen’s $956 million research program, present at national meetings, and serve as experts and leaders for Komen’s nationwide network of affiliates and in communities around the globe. Ramirez, as part of being named a Komen Scholar, will receive $600,000 over three years to study ...
Breast cancer is the No. 1 killer of Latinas in the United States. This is a fact many organizations are working to change. One such group, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, has begun accepting applications for its 2017 Hear My Voice: Metastatic Breast Cancer Outreach Volunteer Program. The Hear My Voice program offers tools and training to help volunteer advocates reach out people living with metastatic breast cancer, hoping to make a positive impact on individuals' lives in both their “physical and digital communities.” To reach out to all women, Living Beyond Breast Cancer is looking to recruit a diverse group of volunteers for the program. They are especially looking for Latino and Latina applicants. This year’s Hear My Voice training will be held April 28-30, 2017, at ...
Culture and language are two reasons many Latinas don't always get timely and appropriate treatment for breast cancer. Breast cancer is the No. 1 killer of Latinas. The Metastatic Breast Cancer Network (MBCN) is hoping to alleviate some of the barriers to timely treatment through a series of informational materials in both English and Spanish. The MBCN has created several informational resources for individuals coping with Stage IV breast cancer: Conozca los datos
Diagóstico: Cáncer de mama metastásico… ¿Qué significa para usted?
La serie sobre el cáncer de mama metastásico: Guía para nuevas pacientes "Being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer can often be a frightening or overwhelming for many women," according to the MBCN. "This type of diagnosis can be ...
San Antonio researchers are developing a bilingual, culturally relevant phone app and navigation services to help local breast cancer patients stick with their prescribed therapy. The one-year, $200,000 study, led by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and funded by Susan G. Komen, will recruit 120 breast cancer patients at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center who are receiving endocrine hormonal therapy. Endocrine hormonal therapy is the most widely prescribed treatment for about three-fourths of all breast cancer cases. Many patients fail to take their medication as prescribed, and face higher risk of cancer recurrence. For the study, half the women will get access to the app and a patient navigator, who would help with ...
For Latinas of Mexican or Puerto Rican decent, breast cancer is more likely to be fatal than for other U.S. Latinas, according to a new study from the Avon Foundation for Women, USA Today reports. The research is the first of its kind on Latino subgroups. It showed that breast cancer mortality rates differed for Cubans, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Central and South American women with breast cancer in the United States. The findings have implications for how Latinas receive care and treatment. “A critical first step to improving breast cancer prevention, diagnosis and care for Hispanic women is understanding where the greatest needs are,” said Cheryl Heinonen, Avon Foundation president to USA Today. “The more we know, the better we will be at improving care, quality of life and ...
