Black women with breast cancer face a much greater risk. “Listen to your body.”

In June 2010, Wantanisha Morant heard that she thought she was sentenced to death.

According to doctors, she had stage 2 breast cancer and had little to do.

Morant was numb and didn’t even cry.

All the people she knew were diagnosed with cancer died. Her own diagnosis has returned as triple-negative breast cancer, which is one of the most difficult forms to treat and has a high mortality rate. Her life began to match the statistics.

The mortality rate of black women with breast cancer is 40 percent higher than that of white women, even though the two groups have been diagnosed with similar rates. According to the American Cancer Society, which commemorates Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, the mortality rate of black women in their thirties has almost doubled.

Initially, the doctors weren’t worried. But Morant fought for mammograms, ultrasound, and biopsy.

Ten days after diagnosis, at the age of 27, he started a 16-week chemotherapy regimen at the Mofit Cancer Center in Tampa. The first treatment was like an out-of-body experience, as if “floating, confused, and hurt.”

After the second round, Morant stared into the mirror, combed his hair with his fingers, and saw a brown thread floating on the floor. “It’s time for that to happen,” she said.

At that time she made a really good cry.

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According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women, with the exception of skin cancer. One in eight women develops the disease for life and is the second leading cause of death in women after lung cancer. The lifetime risk for men is 1 in 1,000.

In Florida, average from 2013 to 2017 New Breast Cancer Cases per Year According to the Florida Department of Health, there were more than 16,000 new cases, about 118 per 100,000 women. In both Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, the rate of new cases was higher than in the state as a whole, at 127 and 126 per 100,000 people, respectively.

According to the same data, more than 30% of diagnoses were found late in both state and rural areas.

One of the reasons for the racial disparity in mortality is that black women are at increased risk of being diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer is a subtype that grows and spreads faster than other women.

During her treatment, Morant received chemotherapy every other week and included a shot the next day. According to her, this combination caused bone pain that radiated from the soles of the feet.

Her nails turned black. Nausea has settled. And finally, she shaved all her hair in an attempt to regain some form of strength to take control.

At first she didn’t tell the children about her diagnosis. Her daughter was in first and second grade and her son was three years old. The children knew that her grandmother had cancer and that she had died.

“The correlation they had with cancer was death,” Morant said.

In the end, she talked to them using a children’s book at Mofit. So the doctor told her not to make promises she couldn’t keep. Instead of saying she would overcome breast cancer, she had to say that she would fight breast cancer.

According to Morant, caregivers and children are often left behind because people are so focused on their patients. She leaned against her mother because her rocks and her children were her motives.

It wasn’t until this year (37 years old, 10 years after diagnosis) that she realized how affected her children were.

When one of her daughters, Janel Morant, took the stage in a high school debate, she talked about breast cancer. How black women die from this disease at a higher rate. About that summer of 2010, when her mother was too weak to teach cheerleading like in the last few years. Also about how the cancer hurt her.

That day Morant was in the audience and shouted out.

•••

Today, there are more than 3.5 million breast cancer survivors nationwide, and according to the Cancer Society, deaths from the disease are declining.

Early detection and prevention are important, according to experts.

Dr. Peter W. Blumenkranz, general surgeon at the General Breast Care Center at Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, said: However, “minority groups may not be fully genetically tested,” he added.

According to Blumenkranz, such tests can tell patients if there is a mutation in a breast cancer gene known as BRCA, which has a significant impact on their chances of developing breast or ovarian cancer in their lifetime. ..

Knowing if a family member has a history of these mutations can help patients anticipate treatment and take precautionary measures. Still, according to the Cancer Society, more than 80 percent of people diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history.

Experts say patients should be aware of their body and pay attention to the changes they notice, but self-examination should not serve as the only means of breast cancer prevention.

“The problem is that it’s too late to be able to feel something,” he added, adding that the mammogram can pick up abnormalities that patients may not feel on self-examination. He said that even women who are not at high risk should be willing to work on getting mammograms.

Women in their 40s at average risk should consult their doctor about when to start screening. And families need to have an open dialogue about their cancer history, as it affects the risk and prevention of others. Blumenkranz said.

Several health centers across Tampa Bay offer mammogram vouchers to uninsured or low-income patients to address inequality.

Even with more aggressive cancer subtypes that disproportionately affect African-American women, early detection remains important, tumors specializing in breast cancer at the Women’s Oncology Center at the Mofit Cancer Center. Dr. Hatem Soliman, a physician, said.

A healthy lifestyle practice may reduce the risk of getting sick across races.

A balanced diet, frequent exercise, restricted alcohol intake, weight management, and avoidance of smoking can have a significant impact on overall health, especially to women in the color community. Soliman, who calls for access and health advocacy, says lifestyle changes.

•••

After breast cancer, Morant had various health fears. A positive BRCA1 mutation meant she was more likely to develop ovarian cancer. So when the cyst was found, she had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed.

After that, she returned and earned a master’s degree, which she stopped studying before her diagnosis. And her children are fine, she said. She believes the journey made her stronger.

In October, I wear pink every day to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., the first black Greek letter sorority whose official colors are pink and green, she proudly wears pink.

“Our lives can change literally in the blink of an eye,” Morant said. “Know your body. Listen to your body and become your own advocate.”

Ten years ago, she couldn’t tell her story without crying. Today she can easily share it.

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