Together We Can: Yvonne McLean Florence’s Journey from Breast Cancer Survivor to Advocate
Advocate Spotlight: Yvonne McLean Florence Before her cancer diagnosis, Yvonne McLean Florence had a full life. She worked as an Administrative Assistant at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, spent lots of time nurturing her family, enjoying her roles as wife, mother, grandmother, and ordained minister, while finding time ...
Heart for the Future: Medical Students’ Passion for Cancer Survivorship Fuels Their Future as Oncologists
Advocate Spotlight: Katherine Li, Ryan Hannon, and Noah Davis Katherine Li, Ryan Hannon, and Noah Davis aren’t your average medical students. While they come to the profession like so many others, with a genuine desire to provide quality medical care to their future patients; these young professionals already know they ...
The Advocate Within: Tamron Little’s Remarkable Journey of Turning Trauma into Triumph
Advocate Spotlight: Tamron Little Tamron Little was a 21-year-old college student and pregnant with her first child when she was misdiagnosed with a fibroid tumor. She’d been experiencing abdominal pain, anemia, and constipation, all symptoms that could easily be attributed to her pregnancy. After giving birth to her son, and ...
The Not-So-Good Cancer: Mary Glen’s Inspiring Advocacy Journey
Advocate Spotlight: Mary Glen Mary Glen was serving as an active-duty Army officer, deployed to South Korea in August 2020. Just 24 years old, Mary recalls feeling fatigued, experiencing bouts of depression, hair loss, and brittle nails, but her symptoms were initially attributed to the stress of deployment. “In the ...
The Path to Purpose: Marlena Murphy Finds Meaning in the Challenges
Advocate Spotlight: Marlena Murphy Marlena Murphy’s cancer journey began when she discovered a lump in her left breast during her monthly self-check in May 2018. It was a moment that would change her life forever. Marlena contacted her primary care physician and was immediately scheduled for a diagnostic mammogram. Ultrasound ...
Brett Wilson – Navigating Childhood Cancer and Finding Purpose in Advocacy
Advocate Spotlight: Brett Wilson Brett Wilson's cancer experience started when she was just two years old. Her mother was concerned because she was sleeping a lot, so she took her to the doctor. Diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), her family was told she had little chance of survival. Her ...
Championing Survivorship: Woody Brokenburr’s Lifelong Dedication to Cancer Advocacy
Woodrow “Woody” Brokenburr was diagnosed with cancer when he was 9 years old, after a biopsy revealed that the lump on his left thigh was osteosarcoma. In the 1960s, pediatric cancer care was challenging, even more so for Black children living in the racially segregated south, as access to quality ...
Championing Survivorship: Nurse Practitioner Sanna Ali’s Dedication to a Career in Cancer Survivorship
Sanna Ali is a dedicated Nurse Practitioner currently pursuing her PhD in Nursing at The George Washington University. Sanna started her nursing career as a registered nurse in an inpatient pediatric hematology oncology unit. She shares that working with childhood cancer patients had one of the most profound impacts on ...
Arsenic and Advocacy: Sarah Cohn’s Experience with Rare Leukemia Spurs Action
Diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia called acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), Sarah Cohn's cancer diagnosis at the age of 30 took her by surprise. Sarah had just started a new job when symptoms appeared. “For survivors, it seems like there is always one thing that happens that leads directly ...
Sandra Finestone, PsyD: Be Bold and Don’t Hesitate – A 30-year Survivor’s Advice on Advocacy
Advocate Spotlight: Sandra Finestone, PsyD A cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming and life-changing, but for Sandra Finestone, it ignited a passion for advocacy that has lasted for more than 30 years. Sandra's journey as a breast cancer survivor began in her late thirties when she discovered a lump in her ...
