Without This Woman
The Obama Administration alum reflects on her and her grandmothers breast cancer journeys.
Para leer este ensayo en espanol, desliza hacia abajo.
She was an unrealized artist and made me paper dolls by hand.
She didn’t want to inconvenience anyone with out-of-pocket costs.
Unfortunately, my abuelita wasnt the only woman in my family to be affected by breast cancer.
Her mother, my great-grandmother, died ofmetastatic breast cancerwhen I was a baby.
Whats more, of all ethnic groups, Latinas are thesecond-most likelyto carry the mutation, after Ashkenazi Jews.
The opportunity tolower my risk of developing breast cancerto less than 5% was a no-brainer.
My doctor recommended having surgery in 2018.
I was 38, about 10 years younger than the age my mother was when she had breast cancer.
For me, finding that out validated the power of trusting my instinct and acting on it.
That made all the difference in my outcome.
Watching my grandmothers experience and that of the women in my family inspired my breast cancer advocacy for Latinas.
Each of us underwent life-altering medical procedures in the hope of reducing our genetic risk and saving our lives.
So I made it.Now, I hear from women every week who find support and comfort in watching it.
Since my initial diagnosis,I’ve felt my grandmother with me throughout my journey.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Ella era una artista no realizada y me hizo munecos de papel a mano.
No queria incomodar a nadie con gastos de bolsillo.
Yo tenia 16 anos.
Su madre, mi bisabuela, murio de cancer de mama metastasico cuando yo era bebe.
La oportunidad de reducir mi riesgo de desarrollar cancer de mama a menos del 5% fue una obviedad.
Mi medico recomendo operarme en 2018.
Para mi, descubrir eso valido el poder de confiar en mi instinto y actuar en consecuencia.
Eso marco la diferencia en mi resultado.
Asi que lo hice.
Ahora, escucho de mujeres todas las semanas que encuentran apoyo y consuelo al verla.
Desde mi diagnostico inicial, senti a mi abuela conmigo durante todo mi viaje.
Esta entrevista ha sido editada y condensada para mayor claridad.
