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A young, black, professional, Spelman College and UNC Law grad, and new mommy who practices law in the Chicago suburbs.

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Sisters Against Breast Cancer

October 23rd, 2007 • Related • Filed Under

I couldn’t let October fly by without acknowledging the fact that it’s Breast Cancer Awareness month. Female YBPs listen up- Breast Cancer is the most common cancer among African American women. African American women five-year survival rate of breast cancer is 74%, compared to white women of 88%. I wrote a post last year that details more about statistics and risk factors.

Awareness

There are many foundations and organizations that research and advocate for breast cancer awareness, but I recently stumbled upon one that is geared towards African American women. Sisters Network Inc. (SNI) is the leading voice and only national African American breast cancer survivorship organization in the United States. SNI promotes the importance of breast health through empowerment, support, breast education programs, resources, information, and research. Membership is 3000, which includes over 40 affiliate chapters nationwide.

The organization’s purpose is to save lives and provide a broader scope of knowledge that addresses the breast cancer survivorship crisis affecting African American women around the country. As a nationally recognized organization among leading medical establishments and breast cancer physicians, Sisters Network is also recognized as a critical information resource for African American women.

 News

A new study suggests African-American women with breast cancer lag behind their white counterparts when it comes to receiving chemotherapy and hormone therapy. “Whether because of breakdowns in doctor-patient communication or some other factor, disparities between the treatment of black women and white women with breast cancer exist.”

This story sounds familiar to the studies that revealed that doctors diagnose differently depending on the race of their patients. I guess racism has no mercy, even on the sick.

Viewing 2 Comments

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    Big dudes check yourself too. Breast cancer has been found in males with more "breast" tissue than the norm.
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    As an African American woman with breast cancer, I disagree with a part of this statement. It has nothing to do with racism, it is lack of knowledge and insurance. I have been fighting this for a little over a year, I was diagnosised October 12, 2007 two days before my son's second birthday. My gyn found my lump. I did not make the time to do a self examine. I was too busy with son going to gymnastics and my 12 year old music lessons and myself going to school and work. Last Friday I finished my last radiation therapy treatment. Going to chemo and radiation I met a lot of wonderful people of all races and three of best black women ever. Out of the ones I met the biggest problem was insurance, out of four black women I had the best plan, one had to pay $168.00 each time she came to chemo which was 26 times costing her $4368.00 and I am not including radiation we see the every week for six weeks. Another had to go on welfare because she did not have any insurance, but she wanted to live. The last woman had nothing she worked two jobs, and her son dropped out of college to help her pay for bills, she said she would never go on welfare, but she sacrfice her sons education to live. We lag behind our counter parts, because most of us are single parents and our families are doing just as bad as we are. My husband left me a week after my diagnosis, when my doctor and I started talking masectomy. Never had a masectomy thank God. Research you information more there are thousands of women like who can not receive harmonal treatment, because of something called her2. My her2 was not positive it negative, which means I have triple negative breast cancer, my only course of treatment was surgrey, chemo and radiation. I am 1 ot 20,000 black women who is in a clinical study this, but of 168,000 plus, how come I only 1 ot 1% of women doing this study. I have been to a few seminars and by talking to my new found sistas, we don't tell our doctors everything about our selves. For instance what meds we take, what herbs we take, how we really feel, our past medical history. All of which is important. Shouldn't take herbs when on chemo, beacuse some chemo are made with plants and herbs, if we feel like crap tell the doctor, it don't mean he will put you in the hospital, our past medical history the doctor will look down you he just want to help. Our white counterparts don't mind doing any of the above, that is why the get the help and live longer. We as black folk are to tight lip and closed minded. We are taught not to talk about certain things. That is how our ancestors and it passed down, just like the color of our eyes and the color of skin. As a generation coming through now we need to know our family history, we need to stop being afraid of what they are going to and start being afraid of the unknown. Men you need to to afraid of just prostrate cancer, worry about your breast also. Men did you know Richard Roundtree had breast cancer also, yes Shaft.
 
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