By Ivan Sanchez
One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Most of us have known someone that has battled this disease, and many of us know someone that has lost the battle. According to the American Cancer Society “Black women have the lowest 5-year relative breast cancer survival rate compared to all other racial/ethnic groups for every stage of diagnosis and every breast cancer subtype. There is a 6 percent to 8 percent gap in 5-year survival between Black and White women for every breast cancer subtype.”
The Tigerlily Foundation, a breast cancer advocacy organization, and GSK, a global biopharma company have partnered together to start a new initiative, “My Living Legacy.” The purpose of the campaign is “focused on changing the narrative for Black health through storytelling and encouraging participation in clinical trials. This campaign will educate and empower Black people on the importance and benefits of clinical trials – inspiring people to create a living legacy of improved health for Black communities everywhere,” shared Maimah Karmo, Founder/CEO of the Tigerlily Foundation.
The history of minority communities and medicine has not always been positive, with many Black and Brown communities deeply distrustful of modern medicine. The Tigerlily Foundation and GSK are attempting to narrow health disparities while healing the rift between the health care industry and minority communities.
Because clinical trials are often the lifeline for those that current treatment has not helped, the lack of Black participation in clinical trials leads to increased mortality in those same communities. By soliciting trusted voices in the community, the initiative hopes to increase medical literacy and empower Black and Brown communities in talking to their doctors about lifesaving therapies.
If you would like to learn more about My Living Legacy you can visit tigerlilyfoundation-mylivinglegacy.org to access educational materials and discussion guides. Additional information about events throughout the year can also be found online at tigerlilyfoundation.org/events.
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