Empowering Women of Color With Breast Cancer Through Emotional Support

In part six of CURE’s “Mind Over Matter: Cultivating a Resilient Mindset During Breast Cancer Treatment” webinar, Ricki Fairley, CEO of TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance; Hayley Brown, director of partnerships and programs at TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance; and Michelle Anderson-Benjamin, CEO and founder of The Fearless Warrior Organization, discussed sources and outlets to help with emotional support.

In particular, they acknowledged the available resources for women of color with the disease, and how they can tap into a community to help. Further, they highlighted ways that they coped with their diagnosis.

“Everything's therapeutic, and puts everything in perspective when you see the flowers and the trees and feel the wind even if it's cold,” Fairley said.

SUMMARY

00:00 – Cancer diagnosis, advocacy and legacy for young children

• Michelle Anderson-Benjamin shared about her journey with metastatic breast cancer, as well as her advocacy efforts since her diagnosis and how she hopes to leave a legacy for her children.

01:13 – Empowering women with breast cancer

• The panel discusses the unique challenge that women of color face when it comes to breast cancer advocacy; for example, the lack of representation of Black patients and survivors as well as a limited amount of resources.
• As a result, the panel urged Black women to seek resources within the community to empower them through their breast cancer journey.

02:21 – Emotional support for Black women with breast cancer

• The panel discussed the importance of emotional support for Black women facing a breast cancer diagnosis, its treatment and beyond, highlighting the need for local and national organizations to provide resources and advocacy.
• The speakers also emphasized the importance of self-care and doing things that bring joy, such as dance classes, guitar lessons and spending time in nature.

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