Deirdra Harris Glover
Managing Editor
Kiwana Thomas Gayden found the lump in her breast after a run last December.
“I was prepping for the Mississippi Blues Marathon and I thought (the lump) was a swollen strain or sprain,” said Gayden, who holds a B.S. and an M.S. in chemistry from Jackson State University.
Gayden’s family has a history of breast cancer, and so she paid careful attention. After a few weeks, the lump was larger and soft, and the skin was redder and dimpled like orange peel. Her nipple began to invert.
Gayden’s first mammogram and ultrasound showed nothing to worry about, and she continued training. Within six weeks, she went back to her gynecologist for a recheck and a biopsy. “I ran the Blues on Saturday…and was diagnosed on Tuesday.”
Gayden was diagnosed with stage three, triple-negative inflammatory breast cancer. IBC is a rare, aggressive cancer with subtle symptoms, and is often only diagnosed at stage four—after it has metastasized to other areas of the body. Gayden received eight rounds of chemotherapy and 33 radiation therapy treatments, and worked through her treatment.
“Your normal is different now (after a diagnosis) but working made me feel like myself. Work was one of the normalizing routines that kept me going,” said Gayden.
Gayden cites her family and friends as part of her excellent support system, but also takes care to mention her healthcare team. Above all, she singles out her husband Lorenzo.
“It can be overwhelming. Lorenzo was my champion, my advocate. He always remembered things to ask that I’d forgotten and was with me every step of the way,” said Gayden.
Gayden’s background in science gave her the ability to be an educated and involved patient, but it also brought her to a deeper understanding of disparities in diagnosis and care.
The 2014 Racial Disparity in Breast Cancer Mortality Study, funded by the Avon Foundation for Women and the Sinai Urban Health Institute, shows that there is not only a racial disparity in care and mortality, but it also lines up with where you live and the policy enacted there.
Atlanta shows the widest disparity in mortality rates, where black patients are more than two times more likely to die than their white counterparts.
“It was important to note that some individual cities have shown a decreasing disparity and there is much we can learn from those that are doing well. However, the Black:White disparity in breast cancer mortality still exists and needs to be addressed as a public health problem,” said Marc S. Hurlbert of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and former executive director of the Avon Foundation for Women.
Gayden agrees. “More white women are diagnosed, but black women are more likely to get more aggressive forms of cancer. It isn’t fair. Regardless of ability to pay, it is a fundamental human right to receive quality health care.”
Age also plays a factor in diagnosis. Gayden wants to empower young women to be mindful and to fight for their rights to be tested.
“Even though you’re young, be aware of your breasts and their normal—do routine checks on your own, and get any rash or lymph node hardening checked out. Above all, don’t let them dismiss you because of your age. Find a doctor who doesn’t answer questions with his or her hand on the door. Fight for yourself,” Gayden said.
Jackson State University Mr. Junior Asean Davis is hosting “Thee Breast Cancer Walk” Sunday, October 23 from 3-5 p.m. The route is on campus.
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