Triple Negative Breast Cancer, "I Won't Back Down!": Photos Of My Road Trip To Meet My TNBC Pink Sisters, May 24, 2011

What is TNBC

WHAT IS TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER?

Just in recent years, Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) has sparked interest in the news where instead of calling the tumor as ER-negative, PR-negative, and HER2-negative; researchers began using the shorthand term, "Triple Negative," dubbed the "new type" of breast cancer. Being Triple Negative, you don't have a targeted therapy and your only treatment option is chemotherapy.

Triple Negative Breast Cancer is seen in about 15% of all breast cancers. TNBC is a very aggressive cancer that tends to strike younger women, pre-menopause, especially among African-American women and women who have BRCA1 mutations. The tumor tends to be fast growing and is less likely to show up on an annual mammogram. TNBC is more likely to metastasis early on; has a high rate of recurrence in the first 2-3 years from diagnosis and has a poorer prognosis than other types of breast cancer due to lack of specific, targeted treatment for TNBC.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Photos Of My Road Trip To Meet My TNBC Pink Sisters, May 24, 2011

Road trip I made to Louisville, KY to meet up with 2 of my Triple Negative Breast Cancer pink sister's Tracy Barrett Geiger and Kitty Francisco Griffin whom I met online through FaceBook in a TNBC support group. We all have been talking online for about 5 months and then started calling each other on phone for support, exchanging stories and more importantly, lots of good laughs! At the top of my bucket list, more than anything, I wanted to meet my pink sis's whom I formed a strong bond and a very special friendships with. We all went through treatments about the same time, and we're all about the same age. I love my Tracy and Kitty, they made my finding of my new "normal" so much easier being able to relate to fellow survivors whom been through similar experiences. Kitty on the left of me and Tracy on the right of me in all the photos.