October 2022 Vol 8 No 5

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but this issue features more than breast cancer articles. After giving a rundown of key articles, Lillie Shockney offers her advice on ways to achieve best possible care for you or your loved one.

After a 20-year career as a biomedical breast cancer researcher, Dr. Dana Brantley-Sieders was diagnosed with breast cancer and discovered that her scientific expertise didn’t prepare her for the challenges she faced as a patient.

Sara Gilles, an athlete and physical therapist who completed several Ironman triathlons, was shocked by her breast cancer diagnosis in her early 50s. Her husband had to tell others about her diagnosis, because she was too traumatized to say “I have breast cancer.”

Ngozi Ejedimu was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 39, after having a benign lump removed at age 19, and after experiencing firsthand the uninformed Nigerian breast cancer culture, she became an advocate for health literacy for Nigerian women.

Painting gave Pamela Davis much needed peace and tranquility while receiving chemotherapy, after being diagnosed with stage IV non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2019.

Ann Glover found a lump on her chest in 2020, and learned the negative emotional impact a doctor can have on a patient by delivering news in an uncaring manner.

Dr. Forrestal breaks down the differences between traditional medicine, which relies on scientific evidence to prove its benefits, and alternative therapies, which can promise cures without any evidence.

Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive cancer that is often diagnosed at later stages. Dr. Gary discusses the many alarming gaps in the quality of care for Black and Hispanic women.