[00:00:00] Adam Walker: From Susan G Komen, this is Real Pink, a podcast exploring real stories, struggles, and triumphs related to breast cancer. We’re taking the conversation from the doctor’s office to your living room.
[00:00:17] Welcome to the Komen Health Equity Revolution series on Real Pink, where patients, advocates, researchers, and community partners come together to talk honestly about what’s standing in the way of breast health equity and what we’re doing to change it. I’m your host, Adam Walker. Let’s get into it. Today’s guest found her own lump.
[00:00:38] That one sentence should tell you everything because it’s a sentence that changes everything. Breast self-awareness, a discovery, a decision to do something about it. What happened next became not just a personal journey, but a calling. Yvonne McLean Florence is a HER2 positive breast cancer survivor from Philadelphia.
[00:00:59] She’s the founder of Sisters R Us Circle of Survivors, a Worship in Pink Ambassador, bringing breast health conversations into churches across her city, and Miss Pennsylvania Senior America 2025. She’s sat in front of US senators. She’s built a cancer resource nook inside a church. She’s held the hands of women who needed someone to tell them they weren’t alone.
[00:01:23] This month, Komen is focused on the life-saving power of screening and early detection, and on the advocates who are making sure the message reaches the communities that need it most. Yvonne is both a product of that message and one of its most powerful messengers, and I can’t wait for you to meet her.
[00:01:40] Yvonne, welcome to the show.
[00:01:42] Yvonne McLean Florence: Good afternoon. Hi Adam, thank you for that great introduction and for all of you out there who are listening again, my name is Yvonne McLean Florence, and it is a pleasure to be here on when the podcast today.
[00:02:01] Adam Walker: Yvonne, let’s talk about your story. You found a lump yourself.
[00:02:04] Can you take us back to that moment? What went through your mind?
[00:02:08] Yvonne McLean Florence: I’m taking you back to this moment when I found the lump. Not in my breast, but in under my arms. When I was doing a self breast exam, when I found the lump, I wasn’t overwhelmed or anything like that. I knew that it was something different.
[00:02:29] I had not noticed it before, and so I knew that I needed to go and have it checked out. So fast forward just making the different appointments. I went to my primary care doctor first and met with the navigator, and she felt the lump as well. And then through that process, I went through the diagnostic test a ultrasound, a biopsy, and
[00:03:05] that’s when I heard the words you have cancer, breast cancer.
[00:03:10] Adam Walker: And what how did you feel in that moment, both in the moment when you found the lump and in the moment when you heard those words?
[00:03:18] Yvonne McLean Florence: In the moment that I found the lump I was, I knew that it was something different than what I had felt in previous self breast exams.
[00:03:29] And so once my husband was home, I wanted to be sure that I did feel a lump, so I allowed him to feel it. And once he acknowledged that the lump was there, again, I just went into like doctor mode. You know? I knew that it was something suspicious. I knew that it was something different, so I didn’t want to wait around to, you know, to just let it, you know, just to ignore it.
[00:03:57] I didn’t want to do that. I knew that I needed to have an expert look at it and determine what it was. I didn’t make any assumptions in that moment, but after I received the diagnosis that it was cancer, then I was very overwhelmed about the entire conversation. Just hearing the words you have breast cancer, it was very overwhelming.
[00:04:28] Adam Walker: Yeah. That is overwhelming. Yeah. And HER2 positive breast cancer with lymph node involvement is a pretty serious diagnosis. So like, what was the treatment like for you? I mean the chemotherapy, the radiation the Herceptin infusions, like where did you find the strength to get through all that?
[00:04:48] Yvonne McLean Florence: Well, actually once I started my treatment, it just seemed like it was regular. And so my treatment regimen, my oncologist and my breast surgeon worked out for me was that I had chemotherapy. I had five months of chemotherapy. I had after chemotherapy I had I had the lump removed. I had a lumpectomy.
[00:05:20] Because once I received the ne neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and that’s chemotherapy that they give you prior to surgery to see if they could actually shrink the mask. And in my case, that’s what happened. The masks did shrink. And so I received a lumpectomy, and after the lumpectomy I received 32 rounds of radiation.
[00:05:46] And throughout that entire process I was receiving the Herceptin, which basically is a hormonal treatment that turns off the HER2 positive receptor that turned the breast cancer on. And so that’s what happened.
[00:06:05] Adam Walker: So, so I understand you finished treatment two months later, you started. Sisters R Us Circles of Survivors.
[00:06:13] Most people would be resting, I would imagine. So what made you, you know, decide to move so fast on that?
[00:06:19] Yvonne McLean Florence: Well, Adam, before I answer that particular question, I want to revisit the prior question when you said, where did I find the strength to get through all of the treatment that I went through. So I had of course my husband and my son and my fam, the rest of my family, they rallied around me and then I had
[00:06:42] Friends from my church from prior, you know, churches that I attended, and so they were the ones who came and went with me through all of my treatments. So I was never alone at any of my treatments. Just when it was, when I was away from the chair and I wasn’t getting treatment, that’s when I started experiencing a lot of the, you know, the darkness that comes with when you having a diagnosis.
[00:07:12] And so you, the question was two months. I wouldn’t say it was two months. After I finished treatment, it took a little longer than that, but throughout my treatment I just was observing of the women who were coming in and out of the chemotherapy suite, you know, when I was getting my treatment.
[00:07:35] And so I just began to think about what could I do once my treatment was over to just help other women? Because unfortunately I knew that I wasn’t, that the breast, my breast cancer diagnosis wasn’t going to be the end of it all that other women will be diagnosed behind me. And so that gave me the idea to really start thinking about establishing
[00:08:05] some type of support system where I could help other women. And so I discussed it with my sisters and my mother and they were on board. And so we decided that we would, you know, start a nonprofit organization and we really just started out with giving sock packets in the hospital where I was treated.
[00:08:28] And in the sock packets it was just socks. Ink pen and a pad and just little things that I kind of noticed or thought that women in treatment could use either at the treatment site or at home once they were back at home. And so that’s how it really started.
[00:08:51] Adam Walker: Yeah. And so I’d like, I’d love to hear even more about what you do.
[00:08:54] I mean I understand you’ve served over a thousand women, so, so like what all what does the work look like for you and also what do women need that the medical system doesn’t provide?
[00:09:07] Yvonne McLean Florence: Well, one of the things that I will mention is that in, you know, we all know that COVID-19 changed a lot of things in the world and it really, it changed.
[00:09:19] Sisters R Us Circle of Survivors. We went through just some major changes, like everybody, every other nonprofit. We did, we were able to pivot our organization to do educational projects with other nonprofits in other cities, and Atlanta Texas Alabama. However, we weren’t able to pivot on the financial part of it.
[00:09:48] And so in 2022, we made the hard decision to dissolve the organization. But prior to that, yes we had reached over a thousand women because at that time, before we dissolved the organization, we were giving out sock packets in five hospitals, in, in Philadelphia and in the counties. And just that little small, just to let women know that we were thinking about them.
[00:10:19] And also we were able to not only do educational programs, we were able to assist them financially with just their everyday needs. And so that was, you know, major for us. And then we got into the clinical trial space because we knew that research was a pivotal just something that we knew. Well, I knew because I had a footprint in advocacy and we just really tried to just work with hospitals here in the Philadelphia area to educate our community more about clinical trials.
[00:11:06] Adam Walker: Now now you’re also a Worship in Pink Ambassador and you’re not just bringing it to one church, you’re spreading it to churches across Philadelphia. So, so why the faith community and what happens in a sanctuary that can’t happen in a clinic?
[00:11:23] Yvonne McLean Florence: Being a Worship in Pink Ambassador, really it really spoke to me being a licensed and ordained minister.
[00:11:34] And coming from the faith community, having been a product of the church in my early years and, you know, even now, it was real important to me that I reach back into that community of people and bring Worship in Pink to the church. When I found out about it. It just really like it, like a light bulb just went on and I was just so excited that I hit the ground running with the idea of, you know, just really allowing churches to build out a Worship in Pink program that really is unique to their church.
[00:12:22] And so because I have a lot of networking, you know, I just went to different churches to build these to help, well, to help them coordinate building these programs, the Worship in Pink programs out. And so it, it was real. And you asked the question, what happens in the sanctuary that doesn’t happen in the clinic? Connection.
[00:12:52] You know, I’m not saying that. That the patient don’t, a deeper connection, I would say a deeper connection happens in the sanctuary that don’t happen in the clinic because when you’re in the clinic, it’s about you, them treating the disease really. And when you are in the sanctuary, it’s about really seeking God and being with other people that you make a deeper connection with that can help you get through
[00:13:23] all the different levels that you go through when you receive a diagnosis of breast cancer.
[00:13:29] Adam Walker: Yeah. That’s good. That’s a good distinction. I appreciate that. All right, so you all like, I it’s like I’m running through just so much work that you’ve done. This is great. All right. So you also established a cancer survivorship resource nook at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church.
[00:13:47] So tell us about that. What is it and why does it matter that it lives inside a church?
[00:13:53] Yvonne McLean Florence: In 2023, I was one of 10 patient advocates who was selected to participate in the National Coalition of Cancer Survivorship ambassador Program, Elevate Ambassador Program, and the National Coalition of Cancer Survivorship is now known as Cancer Nation.
[00:14:18] They had a name change last year. So their Elevate Ambassador program, this is a program that they established and they bring together advocates to do to create a survivorship program in their own community. And so I decided that I wanted to again, give back and establish something in, in the church environment.
[00:14:49] That would really be helpful in bringing cancer related information inside the walls so that it would be at the fingertip of people that are in the congregation. And because the congregation is an extension into the community, I knew that this book would not only be used by the congregation members in the congregation, but it would be used by
[00:15:17] members who lived in the community that visit the churches. Now what it is the Cancer Survivorship Resource Nook is a mobile nook that has printed materials in it, cancer related materials in it. And these printed materials cover all types of cancer.
[00:15:45] It also has information on clinical trials. Just all the nuts and bolts. We try to make it unique again to the church environment because some churches in membership, they may have more breast cancer related incidents. Some may have called colorectal. So we try to, you know, talk with the Cancer Resource monitor, who is the key person that we speak with to ensure that the cancer survivorship resource no is basically set up so that it can meet the needs of the people in the congregation that’ll be using.
[00:16:31] And so that was my idea to come up. And the very first one that we installed was not at Grace Lutheran church. The first one was at Salt and Light Church and that was in southwest Philadelphia. And then we went to west Philadelphia to the Grace Lutheran Evangelical Church. And since then we have established five, no six resource nooks in different parts of Philadelphia in different
[00:17:04] six different churches.
[00:17:06] Adam Walker: That’s a great service. I love that.
[00:17:07] Yvonne McLean Florence: And I really want to establish more.
[00:17:11] Adam Walker: Well, I you’re on a roll, so I imagine you will for sure. You’re a force to be reckoned with, I believe. So speaking of you were also crowned Miss Pennsylvania Senior America in 2025. I would imagine that’s not just a Title F, it’s probably more of a platform.
[00:17:30] And so how are you using that to advance the work that you’re doing?
[00:17:35] Yvonne McLean Florence: I would say the platforms that prior to winning the state crown for Pennsylvania, for the Miss Senior America pageant, I was on these platforms already. So I was already doing patient advocacy, doing public policy advocacy, doing research advocacy, elevating the patient voice, and so the crown,
[00:18:10] it’s only just a small portion, you know, of what I’m able to do. I just, I don’t know how to answer that because
[00:18:28] I don’t know. It’s just that the crown…
[00:18:29] Adam Walker: I mean, it sounds to me like it’s just kind of a part of who you are and it sort of flows out across that platform and everything else. I know that to compete at the national level for the pageant because you win the state pageant and then you compete at the national lab level.
[00:18:47] Yvonne McLean Florence: And I just know that I was able to bring more awareness on that platform because I know sometimes people say we have enough awareness about breast cancer, but I believe we’ll never have enough awareness about breast cancer. Because if you are not, if you don’t have awareness, you can’t be aware of what’s normal or abnormal in your breasts you won’t be able to know.
[00:19:16] If you not don’t have awareness, you won’t be aware of. Breast cancer has a genetic disposition. You know, so you won’t be aware that clinical trials and research saved lives. People have to be aware, you know, we’ll never have enough awareness. And awareness takes us to action.
[00:19:39] Adam Walker: Yeah, that’s right.
[00:19:40] That’s right. Once you learn something it’s really impossible to unlearn it. So all right, so you’ve also done policy and research, advocacy meeting with senators, working with the Department of Defense, breast Cancer research program for survivors who feel like advocacy is, you know, not for them.
[00:20:00] What would you say to them?
[00:20:03] Yvonne McLean Florence: I would say it’s, it takes a lot to get, sometimes to get beyond your diagnosis and you have to take little steps. Advocacy doesn’t look the same for every person that is impacted by a breast cancer diagnosis. Advocacy could look like just making phone calls.
[00:20:29] Advocacy could look like helping to write down notes for someone else who was diagnosed with breast cancer advocacy doesn’t always take you into some of the avenues that I have able to get into, like public policy or research advocacy. But I do believe that every story counts. Whether you share your story with one person or a big audience, long as you share your story and your story is unique to who you are, and so don’t ever think that your story doesn’t matter and that you have to do some of the things that I have been able to do.
[00:21:24] I in advocacy a lot of my passion for the things that I’ve been doing since my diagnosis, they were already passions of mine. Sort of, kind of, you know, just helping people and wanting to see people like when they’re impacted by some type of disease. You know, to just be able to get beyond that.
[00:21:54] And so for survivors who feel like advocacy is not for them, I would say it is for you because your story matters, your voice matters, and you can bring your unique self to any type of advocacy organization or advocacy endeavor.
[00:22:21] Adam Walker: Yeah, I love that. Now you are a living example of why breast self-awareness and sort of knowing your normal matters.
[00:22:30] What do you want Black women, especially those who keep pushing off that mammogram to hear from you today?
[00:22:38] Yvonne McLean Florence: My I would say to them, don’t delay getting your mammogram. Because that mammogram can detect something that sometimes we’re not able to detect, you know? Sometimes the breast cancer doesn’t show up in a lump.
[00:23:02] It shows up in different ways. So your mammogram, getting your mammogram is key. And I would just tell them, don’t delay that. Just really try to get it. And if you have a family history of someone in your family who has had breast cancer or even o other types of cancer, because you know some of those genes are connected, you can, you know, start getting your mammogram a little earlier.
[00:23:35] Than what a, what someone like, you know, they have their age category, but if you have a history of it, just know your history, your family history, and seek out your doctors to see if you can, you know, start getting your mammogram a little earlier than and normal.
[00:23:54] Adam Walker: Yeah, that’s great advice. I highly recommend
[00:23:58] knowing your normal, getting that mammogram and making sure that you’re advocating for yourself. All right, so last question. You once told a fellow advocate, don’t do cancer alone, find your community or village. If someone’s listening right now and they just got diagnosed and they feel completely alone, what do you want to say to her?
[00:24:19] Yvonne McLean Florence: I’ll say to that person, don’t be hard on yourself because receiving a diagnosis of breast cancer is overwhelming. I will also tell them to reach out even if it’s only to one person that they trust in their circle that can be there for them. And if that’s too hard right now and if it’s too hard right now to connect with someone that person knows that they can always call the hotline Susan G Komen’s patient hotline and speak with someone.
[00:24:58] Then I will also say to them, connect with a breast cancer support group. Either in the person, either in person or on online. You can do it vir virtually now because surrounding yourself with people whose journey may look a little different or maybe unique to them. But however, if the person is newly diagnosed.
[00:25:27] They could be around women who know what they’re going through, because that woman has also been there as well. So that’s what I would say to that person.
[00:25:37] Adam Walker: Yeah. That’s good advice. Well, Yvonne you have accomplished a lot. You’ve worked so hard. You continue to do, I mean, you’re just expanding your influence in so many ways and being on, you know, this episode is just one of those one of those things.
[00:25:53] And I just, I thank you so much for the work that you’re doing. It’s inspiring, I think, to me, to our audience and it’s important work. So thank you for what you do, and thank you for joining us on the show today.
[00:26:06] Yvonne McLean Florence: Thank you, Adam.
[00:26:09] Adam Walker: Thank you for being a part of this conversation. The health equity revolution keeps moving because people like you and guests like today’s refuse to let it stop.
[00:26:18] For more resources, visit Komen.org/health equity, and if you or someone you love needs support, or you’ve been putting off a mammogram, our breast care hotline is available at 1 8 7 7 4 6 5 6 6 3 6. For help or email helpline@komen.org. Also, if you’re a part of a faith community or you know someone who is Worship in Pink might be exactly the program your congregation needs.
[00:26:46] Learn more about becoming a Worship in Pink ambassador at komen.org slash Worship in Pink.
[00:26:57] Thanks for listening to Real Pink, A weekly podcast by Susan G Komen. For more episodes, visit real pink.Komen.org. And for more on breast cancer, visit Komen.org. Make sure to check out at Susan G Komen on social media. I’m your host, Adam. You can find me on Twitter at AJ Walker or on my blog adam j walker.com.