A new study could be the link to save more Black women's lives.
Enrollment is now open for the largest case study of its kind on Black women and cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, Black women under the age of 50 are almost twice as likely to die of breast cancer than any other ethnic group. That is why the "Voices of Black Women" study was created to look into multi-level drivers that may be unique to that particular group.
The plan is to spend 30 years monitoring 100,000 Black women – between the ages of 25 and 55. These women cannot currently have cancer and are willing to be interviewed a few times a year for 30 years.
Micha Logan, affectionately known as ML6, is a woman who has her finger on the pulse of the Rocket City. She is a radio personality who is known for her big heart, authenticity, and clean living. She has a healthy diet, exercises regularly, and attends doctors appointments regularly. That’s why she was very surprised to get a positive diagnosis of breast cancer in 2013. She was 31 years-old at the time.
“I went blank. Mind you, I was on air. The last thing I remember [is my doctor] saying, ‘I need you to come down to the doctor's office because we need to talk further.' I took every single [breast cancer] gene test and everything came back negative before.”
Image from Micha Logan's Instagram
Ironically, many women in her family would later develop some form of cancer. Logan is now cancer free. She shares every detail of her experience to let other patients know what to expect.
You can watch Micha Logan's full interview - where she talks about one of her biggest regrets about the process - below or by clicking HERE.
Micha Logan, affectionately known as ML6, is a woman who has her finger on the pulse of the Rocket City. She is a radio personality who is known for her big heart, authenticity and clean living.
Reality television star and health professional Kimberlee Scott serves as an ambassador for the study. She was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago. Her faith and support from her family pushed her through the most trying times of the disease.
“I am a Christian and I knew Jesus was going to pull me through, but there were days where I was like, 'Why me?' And then you think about it, why not me? I'm healthy, I'm young enough. I can get through this and be a voice for someone else.”
Image from Kimberlee Scott's Instagram
Scott allowed cameras to film during one of the most vulnerable times of her life. She is now cancer free and fully understands the responsibility that comes along with her national platform. It is now her goal to make sure other women and men feel empowered during the diagnosis and treatment phases of cancer – because “cancer doesn’t play fair,” Scott added.
You can watch Kimberlee Scott's full interview below or by clicking HERE.
Reality television star Kimberlee Scott allowed cameras to film during one of the most vulnerable times of her life.
Dr. Alpa Patel is one of the principal researchers for the "Voices of Black Women" study. She is determined to find out why there are inequities with cancer. Her decades of research with the American Cancer Society led to this hypothesis: Do unique factors in caregiving responsibilities; stress; access to healthy food; exercise; environment; weight and social support increase the risk of cancer in black women?
“[We also want to look into] how things like discrimination, racism and generational wealth make the outcomes potentially different,” Patel added.
A recent study by radiation oncologists about chemical hair relaxers sent shockwaves throughout the Black community. Now, more research shows the popular chemical, Formaldehyde, used in hair straighteners could lead to cancer. The investigator states many Black women used the straightener for decades – as it was seen as a rite of passage in childhood.
When pressed on why it took until 2024 to conduct a study of this magnitude, Patel noted history played a major factor. "There's been horrible mistrust and understandably mistrust in the community due to the Tuskegee experiment, we heard about Henrietta Lacks, and so many other things that led to an underrepresentation from black community in research.”
The study is designed to build a partnership with Black women. The team of women scientists are Black and brown. Patel said every person hand-picked for the team has a passion for health equity and personal motivation. For Patel, the passing of her grandfather to cancer sparked her interest in epidemiology. She relies on those memories to better connect with other people who are in a similar situation.
If you are interested in signing up for this case study, click HERE.
