I knew it was bad news before I even answered the call. It was a Tuesday afternoon in June and BTS had just announced that they would be going on a “hiatus” - or were they breaking up? Either way, the morning had been filled with random texts and DMs from friends checking on me - was I okay after hearing my favorite K-Pop boy band was breaking up?
“Hello?” I said into the phone, as I sat at my desk in our open plan office.
My name is Kim Farnham and I'm 54 years old. I bled heavily for years, and I was continually told it was normal; I was perimenopausal even though my bloodwork showed I wasn't. I was too young to have cancer and it couldn't be cancer because I wasn't in menopause.
I wanted to reiterate the mantra that has kept my journey bearable for nearly one year: Armor on. Prayers up. Let's go! Those words have special significance, as they connect my faith, my feisty personality, and my dogged determination to survive this odyssey.
What did the African American program look like in its early days?
Dominique: This program was created with the knowledge that women of color are under-represented in the medical field. Because of LatinaSHARE and their successful model, the door was open for us to create a program that addressed the needs of Black women.
Tell us about your cancer experience
I am a three-time cancer survivor, twice uterine and then ovarian cancer. I've been free of uterine cancer for 6 years, and this July, I will be 4 years free of ovarian cancer.
November 2022 will be 9 years since I received my first diagnosis of uterine cancer.
Tell us about your cancer experience
I have experienced all aspects of cancer as part of my career, volunteerism, advocacy for myself and others, and most importantly as a survivor. I have no regrets about my journey with cancer because it is my belief that it defines my purpose in life.
My cancer journey began in 2013. I was 33 years old, and had just gotten married six months prior to being diagnosed with uterine cancer. Being diagnosed with stage 1c uterine cancer changed my life and body forever.
My Name is Rosalind B. Pettiford. On November 2, 2009, I heard the terrifying words: “You have Uterine Cancer.” My only symptom was bleeding on vacation with my then Husband. We drove straight to the Veterans Hospital in Brooklyn on our way home, and Dr. Friedman scheduled me for a Pap smear.
I am very grateful that SHARE decided to start supporting women with
endometrial cancer so that I could join the community and benefit from its resources. In March 2017, I was diagnosed with stage IIIA uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC) completely out of the blue at age 69. My only symptom was post-menopausal vaginal bleeding, and, at the time, I did not even know that it was a symptom of endometrial cancer.
April 28th was the fourth anniversary of the most frightening event of my life. I found myself remembering, in sharp detail waking up hemorrhaging, the ambulance ride to the hospital, the cold delivery of the news that it looked like cancer, blood transfusions, another ambulance ride to a different hospital, more transfusions, and a biopsy that became the surgical removal of a large tumor.
