Pioneers in Breast Cancer Awareness

This week, the spotlight is on women who changed the face of breast cancer through their support, research, and advocacy. Each of these women have been trailblazers by making their contribution to eradicating breast cancer as we know it.

Cara Sapida, Author (@carasapida)

Cara Sapida was diagnosed with breast cancer at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. “My initial pathology said I was stage 0, but that turned out to be incorrect. Eventually I would learn I had stage 2 triple-negative breast cancer and would need chemotherapy and a double mastectomy. I found all of this information out as I was also newly separated from my husband with two toddlers at home. It was slightly overwhelming!”

Sapida shared her story on Instagram week by week, in hopes of reaching other women going through this lonely experience. Her book, Not My Breast Year, is an unfiltered memoir that resonates not just with cancer survivors, but anyone who has faced hardship. Sharing our reality reaffirms that there are many survivors out there across this country and the world, and our experience, our fight, fears and incredible resilience is similar.

Jamil Rivers, Founder of The Chrysalis Initiative (@chrysalisinitiative)

At only 39 years old, Jamil was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.  The determination to fight and survive for her family launched her into vigorous research to understand and contend with breast cancer. The extensive research Jamil undertook along her own journey became the foundation of a lifelong commitment to exploring and enacting optimal and comprehensive breast cancer care. 

She became an advocate, using her knowledge base and experiences to help advance legislative policy, medical research, and customize support to better meet the needs of individuals who have breast cancer, Black patients and other disparate groups. The Chrysalis Initiative was born from Jamil’s experiences offering guidance to women on how to thrive with breast cancer, even as she was actively receiving chemo herself. 

Evelyn H. Lauder, 1936 – 2011, BCRF Founder (@bcrfcure)

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation is perhaps the most well-known breast cancer organization worldwide. Evelyn Lauder, a breast cancer survivor and senior corporate vice president of The Estee Lauder Companies, founded the Breast Cancer Research Foundation in 1991 to help fund research and raise public awareness.

Mrs. Lauder is also behind the signature pink ribbon and launching the Breast Cancer Awareness campaign within The Estée Lauder Companies. The program distributed the ribbons, along with self-exam instruction cards, at Estée Lauder counters across the United States and around the world, helping to raise awareness about the importance of breast health and effectively placing breast cancer at the public forefront. Today, BCRF still stands as a testament to her fierce dedication.

Leslie Ferris Yerger, Founder of My Density Matters (@mydensitymatters)

Leslie Ferris Yerger was diagnosed with stage 4 lobular breast cancer in November 2017, when abnormalities were found during a routine bone density scan. Unfortunately, her cancer was not visible on either a mammogram or a sonogram, as would often be the case with lobular cancer hiding in dense breast tissue. “This is not a failure of anyone, but it is simply a failure of the current technology”, she contends. 

She went on to build My Density Matters, a non-profit with a mission to empower women to find out their breast density and cancer risk. My Density Matters has also launched an initiative, Check Your Chart, a program that teaches women how to access their online patient portal, read their mammogram report and look for key phrases that might indicate they have dense breasts. Her message: Every woman should know.