Black women face disproportionate breast cancer risks. They are diagnosed at a younger median age than white women, and they are 38 percent more likely to die from the disease. Survival rates are lower for every known stage, and about one in five Black women with breast cancer develop hard-to-treat triple-negative breast cancer. The statistics highlight a crisis in health outcomes, but the numbers do not capture the human experience of living with the diagnosis.
The phone calls at 3 a.m., the head-shaving parties, and the therapy sessions that cracked something open are not in the data. Black women have always been more than a data point. Perhaps nowhere is that truer than in the way they face, survive, and remake their lives after a breast cancer diagnosis. The stories below belong to 13 Black women who refused to be reduced to a statistic. They are individuals with careers, children, humor, faith, rage, and joy whose experiences changed them in ways both devastating and profound.
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Monique Bass, 53, found a lump during a self-exam at 47. After three years of benign results on three tissue biopsies, Bass pushed for a lumpectomy. The diagnosis was stage 1 invasive ductal carcinoma, and Bass needed immediate chemotherapy. Bass got the news while sitting in a car wash. “I felt like I was in The Twilight Zone,” Bass says. “Not in a million years did I think I would ever hear the words, ‘You have cancer.'” Bass handled treatment during the height of the pandemic and a divorce. Bass founded What’s Behind the Bra?, a New Jersey nonprofit, to help others.
Jacqueline Beale, 64, found a lump during a self-exam. Even though a sonogram and mammogram came back clear, it was obvious that something wasn’t right, so Beale got a biopsy. When the radiologist called with her result—stage 1 breast cancer—Beale heard a lot of noise in the background. He said, “I’m in New York trying to hail a cab, but you have breast cancer. You need to find a breast surgeon.” Despite the bluntness, Beale couldn’t help but find the humor in the situation.
Patricia Fox, 38, found a golf-ball-sized lump in Fox’s right breast. Fox’s doctor initially dismissed it as a cyst because Fox was a young Black woman with dense breasts. Fox trusted Fox’s intuition and got a biopsy. Fox was diagnosed with estrogen receptor-positive stage 2A breast cancer. Fox faced a low point, crying on the floor and feeling like the diagnosis was a punishment. Fox pulled Fox out of it with therapy. “Therapy fortified Fox to get through cancer,” Fox says. “Fox tell everyone that they don’t have to suffer in silence.”
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Annette Colden, 63, promised her dying sister that Colden would get screened. Colden’s first two mammograms were clear. On the third, Colden was told Colden just had lumpy breasts. Colden ignored an inner feeling that something was wrong. A year later, Colden was diagnosed with stage 0 breast cancer. Colden remained calm through the diagnosis. “Lord, if you will be my pilot on this journey, I’ll be your copilot,” Colden prayed. Colden now volunteers at a support group through Roswell Park Full Cancer Center.
Charlotte Connor, 38, felt a lump after breast augmentation. Connor’s doctor was not concerned because of Connor’s young age. Connor had a mammogram and ultrasound, but no MRI. When the lump tripled in size a year later, Connor got a biopsy. Connor was diagnosed with stage 2A ductal carcinoma. Connor shifted to being overly optimistic to survive. “Connor focused on getting healthy again,” Connor says. Connor’s circle of friends threw Connor a head-shaving party to make the dark times fun and lighthearted.
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Donna Culmer, 73, found a stone-size bump in 1999. A mammogram showed a small spot on Culmer’s left side. Culmer was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer at 46 while serving in the Navy. Culmer’s community refused to let Culmer go through Culmer’s alone. Culmer’s father drove Culmer to every chemo session, and services were held at Culmer’s house. Twenty-seven years later, Culmer reflects on the challenge. “As Black women, we have been through challenges our whole lives,” Culmer says. “This is just one more.”
Ricki Fairley, 69, found a peanut-like lump under Fairley’s nipple. Fairley was diagnosed with stage 3A triple-negative breast cancer. Fairley quit Fairley’s job and started Fairley’s own company during treatment. Fairley later filed for divorce and sold Fairley’s house. Fairley diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer a year later but beat it by finding a doctor versed in current research. Fairley cofounded The Black Breast Cancer Alliance to reduce mortality rates for Black women.
