Black women are 38 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than White women, despite slightly lower incidence rates.
That’s a grim statistic reported by the American Cancer Society, and it wants to find out why.
Its VOICES of Black Women study seeks to enroll 100,000 healthy African American women to learn where cancer may appear during 30 years of their lives.
The researchers are also women of color, and their work was described by Damarys Isler during the Miami Lakes Chamber of Commerce luncheon on July 9.
Isler, 59, is chair of the American Cancer Society’s Impact Board of Ambassadors and with her former colleagues in Miami-Dade County government, has raised over $1 million for research.
“Early detection does save lives,” Isler said. “Get your mammogram and do your self-checks.”
She urged the business professionals to encourage their teenage daughters to do self-exams and to sponsor fundraising walks and golf tournaments.
“You’re not alone,” Isler said.
The American Cancer Society is available 24/7, and provides free rides to care, access to clinical trials and survivorship communities, she said.
Erica Massard Galicia, co-owner of F.I.T. Therapy in town with her husband Herby Galicia, shared how her cancerous breast tumor was not detected by routine screenings. A biopsy revealed precancerous cells.
Doctors found the tumor during a partial mastectomy. She underwent a double mastectomy in December 2023.
“I’m not afraid to say the word cancer,” Massard Galicia, 50, said. “Of course I had my dark moments. To me it meant I’m chosen … I was inspired to lead and show others. … We turn pain into purpose.”
She raises funds, too, at Mobileacs.org/YsLdnw, and is a licensed lymphatic drainage massage therapist to help other survivors.
To learn about the study, go to Voices.Cancer.org.
Also, anyone can use an anonymous online app called ACSCancerRisk360 to understand their risk factors, found at https://rb.gy/zeww9e.