What does a metastatic diagnosis mean for our children? In this second episode of our MBC & Parenting series, we talk to the kids of those women in our community who are thriving with metastatic breast cancer, and those kids whose mothers have died because of it. Our interviewees range from the ages of 6 to 29, lending their diverse voices to the conversation and their unique perspectives on being a part of the metastatic community. Spoiler alert - we found out that indeed, the kids will be and are alright.

Jamil Rivers and Family

In 2018, Jamil was diagnosed with breast cancer after she had a cold and lingering cough brought her in to see her primary doctor. Her doctor initially prescribed an antibiotic, but after a few weeks she returned as she wasn’t feeling better. A pinch in her side prompted her to ask for an ultrasound, as Jamil has a family history of gallbladder and appendix issues. During the ultrasound, the doctors discovered lesions on her liver. After a mammogram and breast biopsy, they determined Jamil had Stage IV de novo metastatic breast cancer that had spread all over her body except for her brain and her spine.

At the time of her diagnosis, Jamil was 39 years old with three sons at home, her youngest was 5 years old. Her husband is disabled after his experience with colon cancer and a liver transplant, so it was important that Jamil continue to be her family’s caregiver through her treatment. Jamil underwent one year of chemotherapy without taking time off from work or disclosing her breast cancer diagnosis. In addition to chemo, Jamil underwent an oophorectomy and after one year she had no evidence of disease.

Jamil is the founder and CEO of The Chrysalis Initiative. Jamil founded The Chrysalis Initiative which provides guidance to on how to thrive with breast cancer. Jamil’s extensive research to understand breast cancer and comprehensive breast cancer care became the foundation for The Chrysalis Initiative. Mentoring and coaching 50 women led her to creating a curriculum for comprehensive cancer care specifically for Black women. Today, The Chrysalis Initiative offers a variety of services including One-on-One Coaching, Provider Equity Assessments, Training & Education, and Student Training Programs.

Jamil is also Board President of METAvivor Research and Support, Inc. She is a Young Advocate Alum, Board Member of Living Beyond Breast Cancer and Advisory Chair of the Knowledge is Power: Understanding Black Breast Cancer series.  She is a policy and science advocate with Susan G. Komen. 

In addition, Jamil is a member and patient advisor of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance and is a Project LEAD graduate and proposal reviewer for the Breast Cancer Research program with the Department of Defense. She has been featured in People Magazine, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Tribune, national campaigns for Anthropologie, Novartis, Pfizer and Cancer and Careers, as well as on CBS News and Good Morning America.

Home - The Chrysalis Initiative

Home (bcnavi.com)

METAvivor - Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness, Research and Support | METAvivor

Chrysalis Initiative (facebook.com)

The Chrysalis Initiative (@chrysalisinit) / Twitter

Chrysalis Initiative | LinkedIn

The Chrysalis Initiative (@chrysalisinitiative) • Instagram photos and videos

Chrysalis Initiative - YouTube

Deltra is a Connecticut based mama of 5. Since being diagnosed with Triple Negative MBC de novo in 2019 she has focused on thriving through education, advocacy, connecting and radical self-care. She is passionate about mental and emotional wellness, creative expression as a means of coping, community building and connecting BIPOC women with people and spaces that can care for their whole selves. 

You can connect with her on Instagram @Deltra_does_it

Natalia is a 37 years old with metastatic breast cancer, currently living in a suburb outside of Salt Lake City, UT. She is a mother of a 4 and 6 year old. She was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer in 2017 and metastatic breast cancer in 2019.

Before breast cancer, Natalia graduated with a Master of Public Administration from ASU and has a passion for public service and activism. Currently Natalia is a host and senior producer for Our MBC Life podcast. Natalia advocates for breast cancer awareness and education, primarily in the latinx community and for people of color.

Outside of her activism, Natalia enjoys the outdoors, traveling (when possible), cooking, and spending time with her family.

You can connect with her on Instagram @la_vida_natalia

Lisa is the creator and Host of the Our MBC Life Podcast from SHARE Cancer Support.  When she was diagnosed de novo MBC with ER+HER2- in August 2017, Lisa became the 4th generation in her family to be diagnosed with breast cancer but the only one to be diagnosed at Stage 4 from the beginning (de novo).  She is currently on her sixth line of treatment and has participated in two clinical trials.  

Since her diagnosis, Lisa has worked to use her skills in assisting others living with this disease through fundraising initiatives with The Cancer Couch Foundation, along with support groups and webinars with SHARE Cancer Support.  In 2019, Lisa joined the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance (MBCA) and is now the Co-Chair of the MBCA Awareness Task Force working on the Here All Year awareness campaign.  In July 2020, Lisa created the Our MBC Life Podcast at the height of the global pandemic to provide a platform for people living with MBC to tell their stories and to amplify the issues that we all still face with the experts who help make our lives better.  About to launch its third season, the podcast has released over 56 episodes and has developed a strong audience with over 10,000 downloads.   The podcast covers all the issues impacting individuals living with MBC including racial disparities in treatment, brain mets, parenting and working with MBC, research and funding, male breast cancer, palliative care, clinical trials, policy, legislation, mental health, and many other issues impacting our community.  She is proud that the Our MBC Life podcast is run by a diverse and talented group of people living with MBC.  It is truly a podcast for us, by us.  

Lisa lives in CT with her husband of 26 years and their dog, Kita.  They enjoy seeing their two young adult sons when they aren’t working or in school and connecting with family who live in Canada. 

You can connect with her Instagram @l11chan

Kristina, Stephanie, and Sarah Poland

Steph Poland is the Senior Program Manager and Project Director at SHARE Cancer Support. She has worked in the breast and women's cancers space for the last 5 years. Her mom was diagnosed with MBC when Steph was 8 and passed away when she was 15. Steph has a passion for supporting the MBC community and is honored to do work that carries on her mom's legacy

Sarah Poland is a second year Internal Medicine Resident at NYU. She is looking to pursue a fellowship in oncology. She graduated from Ohio State University Medical School and received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University.

Thomas, Vivian, and Lilly Hue X Nguyen Pham.

Vivian Pham is currently a senior at the University of Houston majoring Nutritional Sciences with a Minor in Biology. She pursued this route because she developed a keen interest in learning about nutrition and the importance of understanding the human diet when her mom was going through rounds of chemo and radiation and was thus limited to a strict diet. Vivian wanted to have a better understanding of how diet contributes to health in specialized circumstances . She never lost her love for science and it is the reason as to why she pursued a biology minor! Vivian hopes to continue her studies and get her masters in Medical Sciences with the final goal of pursuing medicine in the end. She is the oldest sister of her 2 siblings who are both in college. Vivian and her sisters are very close to age with the youngest only being 3 years younger than herself. They have all become best friends and each other’s support system. Vivian grew a very close relationship with her father once her mother passed away. He has easily become her person, and she couldn't imagine going through these past years without him at her side. Vivian is currently volunteering and working as the Co-Director of Camp Kesem at the University of Houston. She loves knowing that she gets to work with a team that is so selfless and inspiring every day. She loves that she has the opportunity to work with this amazing non-profit because it gives her a chance to truly serve those who have/are walking the journey she did as a child. Vivian is also very involved within her church and volunteers there every Sunday as a Sunday school educator for high schoolers. This year she has been blessed to be able to work with 9th graders. St.Faustina Catholic Church has always been such a safe place for Vivian and her family. She has great memories there with them and it has brought her a great sense of peace. In working with the teens every Sunday, she was given the opportunity to give back to a community that has given so much to her. Since the pandemic, Vivian has become a plant mom to over 30 plants and has loved every second of it. If she is not taking care of her plants, she can be seen drifting away to another world through her love for fantasy and romance novels. Vivian loves all outdoor activities and if she could spend most of her days outside she would! 

Social Media:

IG: @_vivianpham

Camp Kesem U of H chapter: @campkesemuh

Camp Kesem Main: @campkesem

Website: www.kesem.org