As a physician’s assistant, Josephine knew how important it was to keep up with cancer screenings and was already an advocate for breast cancer awareness. She was still shocked when a routine mammogram in 2017 found a lump. Her last mammogram hadn’t shown anything, and the lump was so small she couldn’t feel it. Following her stage 1 triple positive breast cancer diagnosis, Josephine underwent a lumpectomy, 12 weeks of chemotherapy, and radiation – and the powerful drug, Herceptin.
Before the drug Herceptin, people died of the type of breast cancer I was diagnosed with.
Josephine is now cancer-free and has used her experience as fuel for advocacy and helping other cancer patients and survivors. She runs a support group and routinely connects newly diagnosed breast cancer patients with resources. She has also written and spoken extensively about her experience. Though she never imagined the cancer advocacy she supported long before her diagnosis would touch her personally, Josephine has turned her diagnosis into community engagement that has helped many facing their own cancer journey. Because of cancer research, Josephine is a survivor.