Cancer prevention researcher and recently-hooded PhD graduate Dr. LaShae Rolle recently went public with a harrowing personal story about being a 26-year-old Black woman diagnosed with breast cancer after initially being dismissed by her providers due to her age.
For me, a young Black woman and fellow cancer prevention researcher, this story hit home. I am a graduate research assistant at the University of Maryland, College Park, and I recently coordinated an event to spotlight early onset breast cancer in the Black community. In the planning process, I realized I personally knew three Black women, beloved mentors and family friends, who were diagnosed with breast cancer in their 20s and 30s. That realization, and testimonies like Dr. Rolle’s, underscored that for the Black community the surging incidence of early onset breast cancer is more than just numbers – it’s a crisis affecting our neighbors, colleagues, mentors, friends and sisters.
