Breast Cancer Survivor Learns to Rely on Others, Navigate American Healthcare System

By: Manny Otiko, IVN

Phoenix, AZ — April Jackson has been through the wringer. After surviving breast cancer and a hysterectomy, she’s walked away from her experience, knowing that she needs to lean more on other people in her life.

According to Jackson, she’s always been seen as the strong one in the family who was the caregiver for her mother. But her health problems laid her low and taught her that she needed to lean rely on other people.

Jackson, who has a furniture business in Los Angeles, first learned she had stage III breast cancer in 2018. But she only received the diagnosis after a second opinion. Her primary care doctor sent her for testing and the results came back all clear. But Jackson decided to pursue another opinion and that’s when they came back with a diagnosis of cancer.

Common problem

Breast cancer is a common ailment. According to Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, one in 8 women have a lifetime risk of breast cancer. And African-American women have a 31 % mortality rate, the highest of all groups.

According to Jackson, doctors say that her problems were caused by breastfeeding and are related to her hormones.