Faye and Carmen
From left to right: Faye and Carmen
By Carmen, a participant from California
Faye and I, and our older sister Tonit who still lives in Guam, grew up with five older brothers. We were spoiled!
We are a very close knit family. We share lots of love, joy and laughter when we get together. When tragedy strikes anyone in the family, we all feel both sadness and sorrow in our lives.
In May 1999, two tragedies struck the family. Faye was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy. All of us supported Faye as she went through her treatment. With deep faith in God and in each other, Faye was well into remission. However, just two weeks after Faye’s mastectomy, our 93-year-old mother passed away.
My sister Faye’s strongest faith in her wellness as a survivor prompted her to become an advocate for Pacific Islander women with breast cancer under the direction of the Guam Communication Network in Long Beach, California.
Faye and I shared so much about her involvement with breast cancer that when she told me about the Sister Study, I gladly enrolled.
I am very happy as a Pacific Islander to be a part of this amazing and worthwhile study to help us discover the environmental genetic causes of this puzzling disease and educate and enlighten others.
Faye and Carmen