Posts by clara@getaword.in

In any healthcare situation, it is important to be your own best advocate. No one knows more about your body than you do. Not your partner, not your family, not even your doctor. So when you talk with medical professionals about your health, remember that you have important information they can use. You know about changes in your body and about any problems you are having. You know what your breasts normally look and feel like. Trust your own experience and talk honestly about it with your doctor to make sure you get the care you deserve. Demand more tests when you know something isn’t quite right, understand your disease, be involved in medical care decisions, ask questions and reach out for support. Today’s guest did just that and is here to share the importance that standing up and being heard has played in her breast cancer journey. Mary Ann, welcome to the show!

When you receive a breast cancer diagnosis, your life can literally change in an instant.  It is important to know that you are not alone.  The support of friends and family is crucial, but a patient navigator can also be an invaluable part of your support team.  Patient navigators are trained to help to guide you through the healthcare system, to work with you to find the resources and support you need and to help keep you on course with your treatment plan. They are there to check on you, to lend support and let you know that you are not alone. Today’s guest was laid off from her job within a week of the time that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Here today to tell her story and why it was so crucial to have a patient navigator to help maneuver through the many life changes that she was experiencing is Melissa Jones.  Melissa, welcome to the show!

Health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible, despite their cultural or demographic background. But achieving this means removing obstacles to health, such as discrimination, economic disadvantages, and lack of access for certain populations and communities.
Today’s guest Omatola Gordon-Rose, Senior Director of Health Equity Initiatives at Komen, understands how multiple barriers combine to create breast health inequities in the black community, and is here to share how the program Stand for H.E.R. A health equity revolution addresses these inequities through several tailored interventions. Omatola, welcome to the show.

A breast cancer diagnosis can often make it feel as if you have lost control. You may want to troubleshoot it, to find the root cause and implement a solution. Today’s guest was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2019, two days before she ran the Boston Marathon. She tried to outrun the process because she was scared to sit idle and lose. But as she discovered, sometimes there is no root cause or viable fix and you have no option but to hope, be patient and trust in the process. Here to share her story and what she learned about herself along the way is Jennifer Sinkwitts.

When today’s guest was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer that had spread throughout her skeletal system, her daughters were ages 2, 4 and 6 and she knew that her children would never have a memory of her without cancer being in it. She decided immediately that she needed to be intentional about how she used living with cancer as a tool to help shape them. Here today to share how she focuses on protecting her bones, living her healthiest life and giving others the tools to do the same is Lauren Huffmaster. Lauren, welcome to the show!

Dr. Jennifer Ligibel is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Senior Physician at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She is also the Director of the Leonard P. ZAkim Center for Integrative Therapies and Healthy Living and the Director of the Center for Faculty Well-Being at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She joins us today to discuss the impact of lifestyle factors, such as physical activity and nutrition, on breast and bone health and how the decisions that we make may affect our long term health and quality of life. Dr. Ligibel, welcome to the show!

Breast cancer can be overwhelming and you may face many physical and emotional struggles both during your treatment and in the months and years after. It’s hard to know what to expect. As many survivors will tell you, there is no normal when it comes to cancer. Figuring out life after treatment can be hard, feeling like yourself in your own skin can be hard, relationships might feel different, and your view of life may even shift.

Today’s guest was living a life of service and was volunteering in Rwanda when she learned she likely had breast cancer at the age of 25. She immediately returned to the US, where tests confirmed a diagnosis of stage two triple-negative breast cancer. Here today to share her story and the impact that breast cancer had on her life and her wellbeing is Robyn Segal. Robyn, welcome to the show!

Today we are going to talk about biomarkers, genetics, genomics, and how they can assist both doctors and patients in determining the best course of treatment. Here today to help us understand the basics and complexities associated with biomarkers and genetics is Dr. Payal Shah. Dr. Shah is a medical oncologist and clinical researcher who studies triple-negative breast cancer and cancer genetics at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the recipient of a Komen Career Catalyst grant. Dr. Shah, welcome to the show!

During Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Susan G. Komen is encouraging Asian American women to prioritize their breast health and get regular screenings. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in Asian American and Pacific Islander women. Although Asian American women in the U.S. have similar screening mammography rates as Black, white and Hispanic women, they have more delays in follow-up care after an abnormal mammogram than white women. Today’s guest, like many people, never imagined that receiving a breast cancer diagnosis was something that could happen to her. Eating healthy and being aware of risk factors and overall health has always been a part of her lifestyle and she and even serves as the General Counsel of Susan G. Komen, with no breast cancer in her family history. Yet, in April 2021, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Here today to share her story and the importance of regular screenings and mammograms is Eunice Nakamura. Eunice, welcome to the show!

Patient navigators empower and guide patients to overcome barriers during cancer treatment, helping to ensure a seamless, high-quality breast cancer journey. They help allow the patient to focus on treatment and recovery, by helping to take care of a whole host of other things such as research for supportive and funding services available. Today’s guest had a personal experience with stage III ovarian cancer at the age of 16, which inspired her to pursue a career as a patient navigator. She wanted to help people like her find their way through a fragmented health care system and provide the guidance that she never received during her own experience with cancer. Here today to share more about her role as a patient navigator as part of Susan G. Komen’s patient navigation program in support of Stand for H.E.R – a Healthy Equity Revolution, and the ways that it can help support patients is Jade Gibson. Jade, welcome to the show!