Check out the stories of individuals who are contributing to the fight against Latino cancer, increasing awareness of the disease, and/or improving the quality of life of survivors across the nation.
Essay Collection: Latina Breast Cancer Survivors
Latinas CAN survive breast cancer. Back in 2004, we had 26 Latina breast cancer survivors tell their unique stories of resiliency, hope and survival for Nuestras Historias: Mujeres Hispanas Sobreviviendo el Cáncer del Seno (Our Stories: Hispanic Women Surviving Breast Cancer). In 2014, we updated the stories and photos of many of the survivors, including new video interviews, as these brave Latinas continue to share their courageous stories, inspiring stories of the importance of cancer screening and that Latinas can not only survive cancer, but thrive in the workplace, school, home, and family.
Alma Daneshi, now cancer-free four years later, is a volunteer extraordinaire. For ACS’s San Diego region, she speaks at health fairs, answers a cancer hotline, helps organize cancer awareness fundraisers, hosts a cancer support group for Spanish speakers, and counsels Latinos on health insurance. She just won an ACS “spirit” award for her work with local Hispanics.
Olga Cardona is now in cancer remission—and she became a promotora to promote health at the San Ysidro Health Center in California, where she was first diagnosed. She said: “I wanted to pay it forward because I felt so grateful to everyone that had helped me through my battle. There are many other women like me, and they deserve to know that they can survive cancer, too.”
For three Latino men fighting to survive prostate cancer, hermandad was a unifying force that helped them through the most difficult challenge of their lives—and it wouldn’t have been possible without the innovative patient navigation project from Redes En Acción.
