RACINE, Wis. — Breast cancer impacts women and men worldwide. The American Cancer Society reports that it’s the most common cancer women are diagnosed with.
Keeshia Jones and Yolanda Coleman know this firsthand. Both have had their own journeys with breast cancer.
“I am a two-time breast cancer survivor myself,” said Coleman.
Coleman owns a downtown Racine boutique called Be Plush. There, she sells breast cancer merchandise and even hosts a fashion show each year. The money raised goes to someone in need who’s battling the disease.
“This a way for me to give back to my community,” said Coleman. “I know when I was diagnosed my main thing was support. I do that because they need someone to be there for them. They can use this money for groceries. They can use this money for gas to keep going back and forth to chemotherapy or to radiation. I just want to make sure they feel like they’re not alone.”
Coleman found support through friendship like the one she has with Jones. Jones was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 and survived. But she is fighting cancer again.
Jones said she was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer last year.
While there’s no cure for this form of cancer, there are medicines that can slow the spread. Women are now able to live much longer with it.
“I just go in for monthly lab work,” said Jones. “Then every three months I’ll have a scan, a CT scan or a bone scan to see if things are stable and to see if the medicine I’m taking, the treatment is working.”
She said part of her healing has been helping other women going through similar journeys. She’s a mentor for the group, After Breast Cancer Diagnosis, otherwise known ABCD.
Jones also started a local chapter of Sisters Network.
“Our focus is to do outreach and awareness to minority communities,” said Jones.
Black women are at least 42% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women, according to Sisters Network.
Dr. Adrienne Cobb is a surgical oncologist at Froedtert Hospital and an assistant professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Cobb has dedicated her career to changing those statistics.
“You look at Black women with triple negative breast cancer and white women with triple negative breast cancer,” said Cobb. “The same form of cancer, Black women still do worse. There’s still some underlying things we’re still trying to find out.”
Cobb encourages women to get their routine mammogram starting at age 40. If you have family with breast cancer, she said it’s important to get checked sooner.
As doctors do the research and try to save more lives, Jones and Coleman work to offer more support.
“Once you get this diagnosis, there’s other women that want to cheer you on,” said Jones. “That’s what we’re here for.”