I am a black women with Inflammatory breast cancer and I want to know WHY I am being told because I am black my life expectancy is shorter than my white counter part with the same Inflammatory breast cancer.

I have always thought of myself as being a healthy person I walked, exercised, went to the doctor for check ups and yearly mammograms. Never drank alcohol, never used drugs, never smoked, never slept around and no breast cancer in my immediate family. With all of that said; May 29, 2011, I was diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

June 6, 2011 I started chemotherapy, a very aggressive chemotherapy.

November 2, 2011 I had bilateral breast cancer (I lost both of my tatas)

November 10, 2011 my drains were removed (Hurt to have them removed)

December 15, 2011 Radiation started

February, 2012 I started taking a chemo pill that I will take for the next 5 years of my life. Hopefully! I say hopefully because from all studies black women have poorer 5 year survival rates with Inflammatory breast cancer.

You may ask “What is Inflammatory Breast Cancer?” 

Well, Inflammatory Breast Cancer is the most lethal form of primary breast cancer a breast cancer often misdiagnosed with mastitis, misinterpreted and/or treated incorrectly compared to more common breast cancers.

At this point you are probable thinking, “I thought there was only one breast cancer”.  For those of you like me I was under the same assumption  until I was diagnosed with the worse breast cancer ever, according to my doctor, Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

Then I found out that Black women die more than white women with Inflammatory Breast Cancer, WELL this is GREAT.  Oh Oh, I can not forget to tell you that Inflammatory breast cancer comes back on you faster than any other breast cancer.

Understand breast cancer does not discriminate, so back to my question, WHY do black women die more than white women.

The answers I am getting and what is written is:

□       Black women do not go to the doctor for early detection.

Are we speaking of all black women I ask?

□       Lower socialeconomic standards

Let me understand, are you saying researchers, all Black Americans have lower social enonomic standards WOW.

□       Screening – Black Americans do not get screened (mammograms)

□       An unequal access to improvements in cancer treatment. 

Please join me for this important survey

I need to know how do you feel about what I have written.  And Why do you feel black women are dying more than white women with breast cancer?  What inequities have you , friend or a family member experienced?

Visit my organization at http://www.fighting4thetatas.org