What a busy--but rewarding--past few months these have been! I recently joined my fellow MBCN board members in Philadelphia for
Living Beyond Breast Cancer's (LBBC's) annual metastatic breast cancer conference. During LBBC's "Hear My Voice" program, I was privileged to hear the varied backgrounds and advocacy work of the program's amazing participants, and later in the conference, I was part of a panel discussing the importance of advocacy.
During a break in the program, a young woman named Shauntell Cullen approached me. She had heard
my advocacy talk during MBCN's 2014 conference at the University of North Carolina. Shauntell's question to me at that time was "What can I do in Boise, Idaho?" I suggested she connect with the local affiliate of Komen. Now a few short months later, Shauntell was pleased to report her progress to me!
Shauntell had learned that while the affiliate wanted to do more to acknowledge people with Stage IV, they didn't have contacts within the local MBC patient community. "The group had no one to help them navigate the world of metastatic breast cancer," Shauntell said. "The last thing they wanted to do was try to implement something when the women in the office didn't even really understand the term 'metastatic.' Well, here I was, ready to be that person."
Shauntell became part of a Metastatic Task Force and subsequently connected with another Stage IV patient, Lindsay. Shauntell and Lindsay's accomplishments include:
- Securing an informational table with MBC literature and other information next to the survivor's tent on the group's race day,
- Gaining special recognition on race day for Stage IV people as "Forever Fighters",
- Filming a three-part interview with Boise's top news station and
- Being featured in Healthy Living magazine, a magazine with statewide distribution.
This is an amazing story of activism and advocacy at its best--one in which Shauntell and Lindsay are helping other metastatic patients as well as educating people who don't understand our situation, but thankfully are willing to learn.
Shauntell's story demonstrates that one person CAN make a difference. Thanks to the television interview and magazine story, Shauntell and her friend reached thousands of people--and it all started with just one phone call. What an inspiration for all of us!
