Tag Archives: triple negative breast cancer

Pinkwellchick Foundation Honors Triple Negative Breast Cancer Day with Awareness & Action

3 Mar

March 3rd is National Triple Negative Breast Cancer Day!

TNCB Day logo

Remembering Barbra on TNBC Day! 3-3-14

Founded by The Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation (TNBCF), Triple Negative Breast Cancer Day (March 3rd each year) is touted as “a national day of awareness and grassroots fundraising events to help eradicate triple negative breast cancers and assist those impacted by the disease.”

TNBCF explains on its website that although the day is a serious one of reflection and action, “the tone is positive as we celebrate all those who join our efforts in tackling the next frontier in breast cancer.” Today is the second annual event.

Our own Pinkwellchick® Barbra Watson-Riley was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer after discovering the lump during a self-breast exam after a “clean” mammogram. She worked tirelessly to educate people about breast cancer and heart health and devoted her life and life’s work to supporting survivors, their families and finding a cure.

She was so very passionate about health, family and community.  Barbra lived her beautiful life “out loud” and devoted every day to blogging, speaking and challenging individuals, organizations and communities to DO SOMETHING. One of Barbra’s greatest accomplishments was creating her play Life in the Cancer Lane™, staged for the first time AND witnessed by Barbra shortly before she transitioned.

We founded the non-profit Pinkwellchick® Foundation, Inc., to continue her work of awareness and action. We invite you to join our efforts with your time, talents and treasures in the days, weeks and years to come.

The Facts About Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Source: http://www.tnbcfoundation.org/tnbcday2014/tnbcfacts.htm

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of many forms of breast cancer.
Forms of breast cancer are generally diagnosed based on the presence or absence of three “receptors” known to fuel most breast cancer tumors: estrogen, progesterone and HER2-neu.
A diagnosis of TNBC means that the tumor in question is estrogenreceptor negative, progesterone-receptor negative and Her2-negative. In other words, triple negative breast cancer tumors do not exhibit any of the three known receptors.
Receptor-targeting therapies have fueled tremendous recent advances in the fight against breast cancer. Unfortunately, there is no such targeted therapy for triple negative breast cancer.
TNBC tends to be more aggressive, more likely to recur, and more difficult to treat because there is no targeted treatment.
TNBC disproportionately strikes younger women, women of African, Latina or Caribbean descent, and those with BRCA1 mutations.
Approximately every half hour, another woman in the US is diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer.

Follow Barbra’s Lead

Barbra_003So what would Barbra be doing today? The short answer is EVERYTHING! The links below will lead you to a range of suggestions on ways big and small to participate, including making a donation to this Foundation:

  • Donate $33 to PWCF in recognition and support of Barbra’s “life in the cancer lane” and in honor of 3-3-14 National Triple Negative Breast Cancer Day [visit the donations page]
  • Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PinkWellChick and @LifeNCancerLane
  • Follow this blog (links at top of the page) to receive automatic e-mail updates of our activities and events.
  • Post pictures of Barbra on our Facebook page and via Twitter today with hashtags #rememberBarb #TNBCDay
  • Visit The TNBCF website at www.tnbcfoundation.org
  • Share this FAQ info sheet about triple negative breast cancer with your friends, family and networks [Click to access PDF]

Whatever you do … DO SOMETHING. Barbra created a vibrant, diverse community of family and friends. Let us remain united in this “life in the cancer lane” in her honor to educate, support and find a cure!

Be wise & well!

Tonya M. Evans, PWCF Co-Chair & webmaster

[home][blog][PWC Foundation][LITCL:The Play][about PWC]

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… and still no words. Rest in PEACE Barbra Watson-Riley

10 Nov

November 10, 2013

Dearest Friends and PinkWellChick® supporters,

image of pinkwellchick t-shirtAfter a courageous and vibrant life “in the cancer lane”, the journey of our Pinkwellchick®, aka Barbra Watson-Riley, ended on November 7, 2013. She transitioned from life in the evening surrounded by a powerful family circle of love, grace and compassion.

She gave an amazingly valiant and dignified fight during these past two years and triumphs over death by leaving the world the legacy of Life in the Cancer Lane™. It was truly a miracle for her to witness her life’s work come to life on stage!

General homegoing service information.

I have mixed emotions as I type. I am deeply saddened for her physical loss because she was and remains one of my dearest, closest friends from high school until …. forever, as well as an elder Soror who adopted and “made me” in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., flyyyyy Gamma Chi Chapter. No one said it (or lived it) like Barbra did.

Yet, she now has the peace and rest she needed and so richly deserved as her body betrayed her bright mind and indomitable spirit. She was a “friend chick” who definitely reaped the love she sowed during her life with all of the love and support you showed her and her family, especially in these last two years .

So in the midst of this undeniable (and quite frankly absolutely unbelievable) loss, be encouraged by celebrating her LIFE. A life well lived, indeed. I am certain she heard “Well done, thou good and faithful servant!” Now it’s time for us to pick up the mantle, to accept the charge in her courageous and vibrant honor and spirit. We must pledge to support and encourage her husband and daughter and to carry on the work of our Pinkwellchick® through PWC. As she said and DID early and often, we now must DO SOMETHING!

Read the raw and beautiful reflections titled “No Words.” from one of Barbra’s closest and dearest friends, Michele aka Red Ink of inkwellchicks.com.

Love & light to you all,

Tonya, PWC admin

[home][blog][LITCL:The Play][DONATE TO PWC][about PWC]

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I am back

8 Jan

Editors note:

In late November I was diagnosed with Metastatic Cancer in the Lung.  It hit my family like an anvil, as I was only 5 months out of treatment for my original breast cancer.  I shut down for the last weeks of 2012.  I had to wrap my mind around this diagnosis, and how it would inevitably change my life and those around me.  Fortunately my “anchors” stepped up, held my hand, and guided me through the numbing pain and sadness.  For that I am grateful because now, I am back.  Sometimes, we need the time to grieve, plan…and move forward.  Thank you for your patience!

 

Pink Ink…

“Even when we can’t see, we know how to feed ourselves.  Even when the way isn’t clear, the heart still pumps.  Even when afraid, the air of everything enters and leaves the lungs.  Even when clouds grow thick, the sun still pours its light earthward.” -Mark Nepo

During my darkest days, one of my closest friends sent me The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo.  It is a book of daily affirmations, and lessons on how to be present in your life.  For about five minutes I was skeptical.  But I quickly realized that this was the time that I needed to be open and needed to live…in the present.  Today’s lesson reminded me that “we have inner reflexes that keep us alive, deep impulses of being and aliveness that work beneath the hardships we are struggling with.”  It reminded me that even through this current struggle, my natural instinct is to live!

I have forced myself over these last few weeks to live everyday.  There have been times that have been tough.  But finally, there have been days that I have forgotten that I have cancer…again.

I laugh. I love. I live.

 

My friends…I am back!

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What a difference a year makes … and so it began

23 Sep

[reposted from inkwellchicks.com]

PinkWellChick™ Cancer Real Talk …

© 2012 PinkWellChick. All rights reserved.

September 15, 2011, I got THE call. The one that told me a detour was coming. I told you there would be a lot of “anniversaries” coming. Well this is one of the big ones. A year ago today, I was told I had invasive ductal carcinoma, grade 3, stage 2 or 3 depending on which report you read. Triple negative breast cancer. You know, the one that black people get. The one that can kill you.

If you troll the Internet, you can find a million articles or posts on how people reacted to the life changing news. If you have been following me, you know I cried for about 5 minutes and then bucked up and prepared to tell folks. Prepared to fight! So today my post is not about me. It’s about my caregiver, my knight in shining armor. The love of my life. Below is an “UNEDITED” excerpt from my book. (You knew I had to write one!) Hopefully it gives an insight into the task he faced from the moment we got the news. It is a bit long, but it is just an intro into how he was thrown head 1st into Life in the Cancer Lane. Here we go…

“It was official. We had to tell people.

Last picture of us together before diagnosis

B first called our parents.

I was not there for those conversations. I knew that I could not emotionally handle hearing our parents’ grief. I did not know how that grief would present itself, (Tears, screaming, denial, silence?) But I knew I had to focus on me.

I can only imagine how difficult that must have been for my husband to share that news with our parents. At the time, he only spoke to our mothers. Both fathers were out. He had to be strong for my mom and reassure her.

We don’t really “do grief” well in my family. My aunt had breast cancer 10 years ago, and we never really talked about how it affected her or my mom. So I had no idea how she would handle this!

But B also had to be strong for his mom, so she wouldn’t be worried about him. After all, his dad was a prostate cancer survivor. They had been down this road. When I asked how the moms handled it, he responded that they were “as expected”. I didn’t ask more because I didn’t want to know, and I didn’t want to have him have to tell it.

Next, we had to tell Lil B. We were just going to tell her, no subterfuge. She knew we were waiting for the news. She is a very astute little girl. There is no way we could have kept something like this from her.
B met her at the bus stop outside our house. She was her regular perky self, talking about her day, and asking where I was. Daddy didn’t usually meet her at the bus stop. Walking in the door, she saw my face, and said, “Did you find out?”

“Yes, Mommy has breast cancer.” My husband said before I could answer.

“NOOOO! Mommy” she screamed as she burst into tears and tried to run to her room.

That kind of sadness and pain is something no mother wants to hear coming from her child. My heart broke right then into a million pieces. Tears! More tears! I ran to the bathroom to wipe them away while B held her in a bear hug. This was the baby girl I had dreamed and prayed for! This was the girl who kept a smile on my face…most times! The love of my life! Watching her cry, knowing she understood the severity of this news, broke me in two! I had to go to her. I came back and joined the hug. I told her it would be ok.

“Think about all the people you know who have survived breast cancer. Miss Maureen. Aunt Mona, Dr. Lindell. We will be ok. You just have to help me.” I tried to reassure her.

Amazingly, after about 5 minutes, she was calm and sat down for a snack and to start on her homework. I snuck back into my room and cried a few more tears. All I could think about was how I was ruining her 4th grade year! Who would take care of her? How would she manage? B knew I was having a “moment”. He knows me so well. He came back to hug me and bring me back out front. We HAD to be together. We HAD to fight this together. We HAD to be strong together. With a sigh, I held his hand and walked back out front.

That night we all slept together, holding each other tight.

But not before he sent “the email”…

Family and Friends – Today we learned that Barbra has breast cancer. Many of you will recognize this as ironic because she has done so much volunteer work in the fight against breast cancer. However, it is a fact and we are going to fight it together until she is cured.

I apologize for having to inform you in this fashion, but there are so many people who deserve to know that I couldn’t possibly call everyone. It’s my fault and not Barb’s if anyone is offended that I didn’t get to them directly. Know that Barb has handled this well. It’s heavy, but she’s strong and has demonstrated that through what’s been a very fast diagnosis. This came out of nowhere.

We’re only beginning to form the outline of a treatment plan, so I don’t have much more to share, but I ask that you keep us in your thoughts and prayers. This email is not going to a long list of people, so you are free to share this information with those whom you feel should know and would care to know. We’re not going to post it on Facebook or any social media, so I’d ask you to refrain from that as well. We’re also not going to do a lot of blast email updates – we’re just going to focus on our family and on what’s to come.

Please be patient with us – we might not call, text or email back as quickly as normal. We’re happy to talk, but please give us a couple of days to digest this and to make sure Blayre is ok. We love all of you and thank you in advance for the support we know you will provide.

B.

And so it began…

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