What Being an Advocate in the MBC Community Means to Me
My name is Angela and in the breast cancer world I am known as Jersi. I was diagnosed 3 times with breast cancer, and have been a metastatic patient since 2011.
In 2014, I began to look at what life would really look like on “my new” path of metastatic breast cancer, and began my role in advocacy. Initially, I had no idea what that would look like.
Today, I know exactly what my role in advocacy looks like and the path I want it to go on. I started a nonprofit organization called Angel in Disguise, Inc. to help others with breast cancer, and have thrust myself into fully helping others navigate this journey.
In my organization we provide complimentary transportation to various appointments and errands, after care, and peer support for those that just need an ear from someone who looks like them and “overstands.” We focus on quality vs. quantity of care.
Beyond my role in the organization I founded, I am committed to fully thrusting myself into being where I need to be, to learn, advocate and be a voice for the voiceless.
As there are many components that one faces when dealing with breast cancer, I choose to focus on helping patients ask questions, where to get resources, share my journey, and inspire people to “live life now!” Unfortunately, not everyone receives the same type of care or are privy to the same resources. I am advocating to help alleviate racial disparities in breast cancer, so that we may ALL have the best continuum of care.
Attending conferences, speaking on panels, being an Ambassador for the Count Me In – MBC Project, and modeling in the breast cancer fashion show, helps me use my voice to advocate that we are more than a pink ribbon that only needs “awareness” in October. We need more research, better benefits and new bills to be initiated and passed, so that as long as we have to live, we get to live our best quality of life, stress free.
Advocating to me means that I am helping to make a difference, and to show others who look like me that we can fight this.
I am here for you and you do not have to do this alone!
