About Us - Fighting for the Tata's Breast Cancer INC

Why Fighting 4 the Tatas Breast Cancer Inc. Started

Fighting 4 the Tatas Breast Cancer Incorporated was founded in 2011 by Joshlyn Earls diagnosed with a micro-metastatic stage IIIB, ER+, PR-, Her2- breast cancer called Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) a very aggressive form of breast cancer with a grim prognosis for Black woman.

At the time of my diagnosis, I became acutely aware of the lack of information made available by the hospital staff to me about this lethal subtype of breast cancer. There were no options given to me other than the treatment for IBC which included, pre-chemo, chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation, therefore forcing me and my family to make a quick decision about my health and future within a week.

During my treatments, I made a commitment with the time I was given to live, to beat the odds given to me as a Black woman, to help other women and men diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, to bring awareness about this form of breast cancer and to educate everyone I could persuade to listen to me about Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC), a breast cancer with “NO LUMP.”

While in active treatment I saw firsthand that a breast cancer diagnosis can destroy the financial health and well-being of a patient and their family. I know all too well how stressful it is to struggle financially while in active treatment. I was unable to work as well as many breast cancer patients were unable to work and experienced a loss of income that resulted in catastrophic losses. I reached out to many organizations that claim to help financially but only passed on a telephone number.

Vision

The vision of Fighting 4 the Tatas Breast Cancer Organization is to get physicians, the ones who deal with breast cancer every day interested in the study and research of inflammatory breast cancer at every level from gynecologists, general practitioners, nurse practitioners, educators, scientists, researchers, and healthcare providers, to realize the impact of this type of breast cancer in our society and to identify the cause(s) of inflammatory breast cancer and Triple Negative (IBC).

To one day have a definitive diagnosis for inflammatory breast cancer and Triple Negative (IBC). Increase public awareness of Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) through public speaking, trade shows, educational brochures, website, Facebook, and Twitter. For the medical world to be color blind and treat all women regardless of their race the same. To help encourage a positive and uplifting attitude, for a better quality of after chemotherapy and radiation care for those fighting the recurrence of breast cancer. To teach it and beat it!

Values

Fighting 4 the Tatas Breast Cancer Organization is operating under the following core values:

The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Our advocacy stems from our passion, fostering innovation and respect in all our initiatives. We aim to pursue our mission with integrity and accountability.
Credibility: We are committed to making decisions informed by current research and leading practices.
Accountability: We are committed to operating in a transparent manner with full accountability to the breast cancer community, and the general public.
Integrity: We are committed to adhering to the highest standards of professionalism, ethics, and personal responsibility. We strive to ensure that donors and the public can remain confident that their dollars are used wisely in carrying out our mission.
Diversity: We are committed to promoting diversity in our board, staff, and volunteers, including full participation in programs and decision-making.
Community: We recognize the invaluable contribution of our volunteers; whose support and commitment makes our work possible

Goals

Our goal is to replace fear with facts and empower women with information. Most of all, we want women, men, and their families to know that you do not have to have a LUMP to have breast cancer.

To educate the public that Inflammatory Breast Cancer is treatable ifdiagnosed correctly. Knowledge is Power! Even in the face of breast cancer.
We are determined to "teach it and beat it."
To aid in finding the causes of Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC).
Increase public awareness of Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) through our public speaking, trade shows, educational brochures, website, Facebook, and Twitter.
To get physicians, the ones who deal with breast cancer every day, including gynecologists, general practitioners, nurse practitioners, and healthcare providers to realize the impact of this type of breast cancer in our society.
To help in developing advanced imaging techniques so that our doctors can "see" the cancer.
To bring attention to the environmental causes of breast cancer.

Objectives

To relieve a portion of the financial burden that breast cancer patients haveto endure with temporary utility financial support.
To continue our work to get a specific ICD Code for Inflammatory Breast Cancer.
To educate women that Mammograms will not detect all rare breast cancers
To bring awareness to the public the difference in clinical/pathologicaldefinition that has been in use since the late 1800s with little change in the 1900s is and doesn’t result in a diagnosis of all cases of IBC.
To continue our outreach campaign for a National Day, “ Make October 3rd Inflammatory Breast Cancer Day.”
To create a medical conference, town hall meeting, and expo in California forall aggressive breast cancers
The ultimate goal is to improve the survival of a disease that is historicallyknown to be associated with a poor prognosis

Purpose

“Surviving Breast Cancer Against All Odds”

The race to find a cure and prevention is imperative for all breast cancers. However, there are more issues that are happening every day to people going through the journey of breast cancer. The fact that the diagnoses and treatment is so overwhelming, the reality of not being able to sustain a stable living from day to day can be devastating to a family. Although friends and family give lots of support, that extra help is needed to cope.

We know that even a nice savings account can be quickly depleted going through treatments and that working a normal schedule can be very challenging to impossible. Our purpose at Fighting 4 the Tatas is to “Survive Breast Cancer Against All Odds,” fight strong and to witness not only a patient overcome their physical challenges but also the emotional and practical concerns that arise as well. Type your paragraph here.

The National Network

Fighting 4 the Tatas Breast Cancer Organization connects with several groups and organizations across the USA to help facilitate the exchange of information and promote knowledge transfer between groups. These groups include community-based, regional, national breast cancer organizations, and professional associations. Through these connections, Fighting 4 the Tatas Breast Cancer Organization seeks to promote best practices and encourage a collaborative approach to addressing gaps in care and access to optimal care for breast cancer patients and survivors.

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