Four Years, No Evidence of Disease. Why My Story Shouldn't Be the Exception.

By Maggie Throckmorton, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC  |  March 2025

In February, I celebrated four years with no evidence of disease.

Four years. I want you to sit with that for a moment, because there was a time when I wasn't sure those words would ever belong to me.

I remember so clearly the days I spent waiting for my pathology results. The fear that filled every quiet moment. And then the words of a dear friend, herself a breast cancer survivor, who meant only to comfort me when she said, "It'll be okay as long as you don't get triple negative."

Of course, that's exactly what I got.

Triple-negative breast cancer. The most aggressive form. The most lethal. And the one that, statistically, disproportionately strikes young women, Latina women, and young black women who have higher mortality rates and slower access to life-saving care.

The Diagnosis That Changed Everything

A TNBC diagnosis is unlike other breast cancer diagnoses. There is no hormone receptor to target, no HER2 protein to block. The cancer is fueled by nothing we can easily cut off at the source. Treatment is aggressive. The road is hard. And the statistics, particularly for women of color, are sobering.

I was lucky. I know that now, with clarity I didn't have in those early days. I had access to the extraordinary Vanderbilt Breast Center and a team of fierce, brilliant physicians who fought for me and alongside me. Dr. Reid and Dr. Sweeting, my oncological dream team, two women who never once made me feel like a statistic. Dr. Meredith Duke, who somehow managed to remove a very sick gallbladder during my chemotherapy treatment (because apparently my body likes to keep things interesting). And Dr. Higdon, an incredible gentleman and fierce advocate for women, who handled my reconstruction with both skill and compassion.

These people gave me four years. They gave me my life.

The Part I Can't Stay Quiet About

But here is where my gratitude runs headlong into my fury — and I need you to stay with me here.

The outcome I had, the team I had, the access I had, the four years I have should not be exceptional. It should be the standard. But it's not. Not for every woman. Not even close.

Triple-negative breast cancer is not an equal-opportunity disease. Black women are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with TNBC. They are more likely to be diagnosed later. They are more likely to face systemic barriers to care. And they are more likely to die from it.

That is a sentence I read and re-read and cannot accept. My oncologist, Dr. Reid, recently presented on these exact disparities through the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, because this isn't just a clinical issue. It's a justice issue. And it's one that my entire oncological team, including Dr. Sweeting, carries close to her heart.

Right now, breast cancer research is on shaky ground. Funding that has long supported the kind of vital, equity-focused science that saves lives is uncertain. And that terrifies me. Because I know firsthand what happens when research, innovation, and access converge for a patient. I am what happens.

March Is Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We Need to Show Up Now More Than Ever.

I am sharing my story this month because awareness without action is just noise. And I refuse to make noise. I want to engage in change.

There are two organizations doing extraordinary, specific, mission-critical work in this space, and both deserve your attention and your dollars:

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF)

BCRF is one of the highest-rated breast cancer research organizations in the world. They fund the scientists who are actively working to understand disparities in outcomes for Black women and other underserved populations — the same research that my oncologist has championed and contributed to. This is not abstract work. This is the work that closes the gap between who gets to celebrate four years and who doesn't.

Donate at: www.bcrf.org

The Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation (TNBCF)

The TNBC Foundation exists for one purpose: to end triple-negative breast cancer. They fund research that is laser-focused on this specific, aggressive subtype — research into new treatments, better outcomes, and ultimately, a cure. They are also deeply committed to patient support and education, ensuring that women who receive this diagnosis are not navigating it alone.

Donate at: www.tnbcfoundation.org

My Ask Is Simple

I want every woman who receives a triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis to have what I had. I want her to have THE TEAM. I want her to have access. I want her to have the research-backed science. I want her to have the four years and beyond.

That doesn't happen without research. And research doesn't happen without funding. It's that simple and that urgent.

So this March, I'm asking you to do something. Share this post. Donate whatever amount feels right; no amount is too small. Talk to the women in your life about knowing their risk, knowing their body, and knowing that they deserve to be heard and taken seriously by every provider they encounter.

Because my story shouldn't be the exception. It should be every woman's story.

Every. Single. One.

With love and fierce hope,

Maggie Throckmorton, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC

Owner & Co-Founder, SHEchiatry

4-Year Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Survivor

RESOURCES

Breast Cancer Research Foundation — www.bcrf.org

Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation — www.tnbcfoundation.org

Learn more about integrated women's mental healthcare at SHEchiatry: shechiatry.com