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In May 2021, Najaah Murray noticed a lump on her left breast. At 39, she was younger than the recommended age for breast cancer screening, but she made an appointment to get a mammogram at a local health care center. After a biopsy, staff from the center called Najaah with her diagnosis: stage IIIB triple-negative breast cancer.

She was referred to a local oncologist but was having difficulty scheduling an appointment.?

¡°A friend asked me why I didn¡¯t just go to MD Anderson,¡± says Najaah. ¡°It clicked. MD Anderson is right here, and it¡¯s the best cancer hospital. I filled out a , and they called me right away.¡±

She had an appointment the next day.

¡°I felt like they took my breast cancer diagnosis as seriously as I did,¡± she recalls. ¡°From there, MD Anderson was the obvious choice for my cancer treatment.¡±?

Instant connection with her MD Anderson care team

Najaah received her care at MD Anderson West Houston, which was close to her home in Cypress, Texas. She felt an immediate connection to her care team and everyone she met ¨C from the greeters to the staff checking in patients.

Najaah and breast medical oncologist , shared similar interests, like kickboxing, and she liked his high energy.

Najaah says her breast radiation oncologist , was very down to earth.

¡°I used to train Dr. Joyner¡¯s nurse, Essence, at my gym years ago,¡± says Najaah. ¡°Since I already knew Essence, I felt very comfortable in her care.¡±

Najaah appreciated what she calls occupational therapist Camiella Esaklul¡¯s ¡°super high-energy.¡±

¡°Every visit to the West Houston campus was a pleasant one,¡± says Najaah. ¡°The fact that I felt comfortable with everyone let me know I was in the right place.¡±

Treatment for triple-negative breast cancer??

Najaah enrolled in the ARTEMIS clinical trial in which doctors monitored her response to chemotherapy treatment to see if it would decrease the size of her tumor. If not, she would receive targeted therapy based on her tumor profile. Najaah began four rounds of the chemotherapy drugs doxorubicin cyclophosphamide. When this combination didn¡¯t shrink the tumor enough, Dr. Bisen added paclitaxel and panitumumab to her chemotherapy regimen. In total, she completed 20 rounds of treatment.

After discussing her options with breast surgical oncologist , Najaah decided to have a double mastectomy.

¡°I didn¡¯t want to risk the chance of cancer developing on the other side later in life,¡± she says.??

Najaah was advised by her breast surgery team to get surgery on one breast at a time. In November 2021, Akay performed a total mastectomy with a sentinel lymph node biopsy.

Najaah also enrolled in the SAPHIRe clinical trial, in which she was randomized to receive the standard six weeks of radiation therapy and monitored for side effects and recurrence.

In October 2022, Akay performed a prophylactic skin-sparing mastectomy on the other breast while plastic surgeon , completed a DIEP flap reconstruction of both breasts. Roubaud used tissue from Najaah¡¯s stomach to recreate her breasts.

¡°The symmetry, shape and form of my breast is wonderful,¡± says Najaah. ¡°I¡¯m very pleased.¡±??

Managing side effects from breast cancer treatment

During chemotherapy, Najaah experienced nausea, fatigue and weight loss.

She knew she¡¯d lose her hair. So, to get ahead of things, Najaah got a tattooed powder eyebrow treatment, learned how to apply eyelashes and visited a barber to get all of her hair cut off.

¡°When I looked in the mirror, I wanted to be able to hype myself up,¡± she says. ¡°I still wanted to be cute and dress up.¡±

After receiving so many compliments on her haircut, Najaah decided to use her diagnosis as an inspiration to others.

¡°I wanted to go through this being as positive and joyful as possible, just in case somebody I knew or came across was in a similar situation,¡± she says.

Najaah had always lived an active lifestyle, and she continued walking five miles each day during treatment. To manage her fatigue, she took several breaks to rest and walked at a slower pace.

¡°The worst side effect I experienced was super dry skin ¨C on my hands, face, everywhere,¡± she says. ¡°I made sure to use plenty of vitamin E and shea butter.¡±

Creating the life she wants ¨C now

Najaah¡¯s cancer diagnosis helped her realize she needed to create the life she wanted now.

¡°I¡¯d always put off travel, but now I travel all the time,¡± she says. ¡°I even helped my cousins expand their travel agency by opening an office in Texas.¡±

Everything she does now is intentional.

¡°I¡¯m more connected with my family, and we have family game night every weekend,¡± she says. ¡°I teach my son things he¡¯ll need throughout his life. I don¡¯t take anything for granted.¡±

For Najaah, it¡¯s all about perspective.

¡°I was always a positive person, but cancer made me realize how bright my light really is,¡± she says. ¡°You have to live your life with purpose and keep it moving.¡±

Encouraging Black women to take control of their health

Najaah knows that?Black women face a higher risk of getting triple-negative breast cancer, so she encourages Black women to advocate for themselves and make their health a priority.

¡°I know so many Black women who are afraid to get a mammogram. Maybe they¡¯ve had pain or felt a lump in their breast, but they¡¯re afraid to make an appointment,¡± she says. ¡°You never want to hear from a doctor, ¡®We could have helped you, but now we can¡¯t because x, y or z has happened.¡¯ Have the courage to get checked out, follow up on those appointments and speak up for yourself.¡±

Today, Najaah is cancer-free, and says she feels amazing. She comes to MD Anderson for checkups every six months.

¡°I feel light, refreshed and stress-free,¡± she says. ¡°But I pay attention to my body, so if I feel or see anything abnormal, I¡¯m the first to jump on it.¡±

Najaah has been volunteering with MD Anderson¡¯s Patient and Family Advisor Program for almost a year.

¡°I want to connect with and help patients because MD Anderson has done so much to help me,¡± she says. ¡°I want to be a resource for people who are ready to take on this journey.¡±

or by calling 1-877-632-6789.

Cancer runs very strongly on one side of my family. Several members have had either breast cancer or ovarian cancer. Two tested positive for the BRCA1 genetic mutation. So, I knew the odds were pretty high that I carried it, too.?

After finding out about the mutation, I put off getting genetic testing for about two years. I didn¡¯t want to know yet.

But I became the first person of my generation in my family to take the plunge. The testing confirmed my fears: I had the BRCA1 mutation. That substantially increased my risk of developing both breast and ovarian cancers. I started getting high-risk breast cancer screenings every six months.?

So, I was shocked when I was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer at age 34.

My triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis

I¡¯d been told that I had until I was about 40 to start making decisions about whether to have my breasts or ovaries removed to reduce my risk. I was glad, because I wanted to wait until I was finished having children to do so.

But when I had my last check-up about two months after I weaned my son, the scan showed a peanut-sized lump in my right breast. Additional testing revealed it was stage II triple-negative breast cancer.

Why I chose MD Anderson

My relatives didn¡¯t get sick until they were in their 50s. And I¡¯d done everything I was supposed to do, including being proactive on screening. But I still got cancer. I was pretty surprised and frightened. Breast cancer sucks, period. But triple-negative breast cancer makes it feel extra scary, because it¡¯s even harder to treat and has higher rates of recurrence.

I knew from relatives that where you go first for cancer treatment is pretty important. But what clinched my decision to go to MD Anderson was the online research my husband conducted. He quickly discovered that chemotherapy only has about a 50% chance of working against triple-negative breast cancer. We wanted better odds than that.

My triple-negative breast cancer treatment

My husband found a clinical trial at MD Anderson run by breast medical oncologist . He reached out to her for more information. Dr. Litton was not able to take me on as a patient, but she referred me to a colleague who was almost entirely focused on triple-negative breast cancer.

I joined a clinical trial under that doctor and received a PARP inhibitor for six months as a part of her study. For a while, the PARP inhibitor kicked my cancer¡¯s butt. Unfortunately, it also caused me a lot of blood issues, so the doctors had to reduce my dosage.?

I didn¡¯t have a complete response to the PARP inhibitor. So, after the clinical trial, I had a double mastectomy, an oophorectomy and a chemotherapy combination called ACT. That acronym stands for doxorubicin hydrochloride (Adriamycin) and cyclophosphamide, followed by paclitaxel (Taxol).?

It¡¯s been almost five years now since I finished breast cancer treatment. Assuming I don¡¯t have a recurrence, I will officially show no evidence of disease by summer 2025.

My life today

The clinical trial I joined didn¡¯t work out quite as well for me as I¡¯d hoped. But I made a lot of friends on it. And some of them had a perfect response to it, with no blood issues. I was really happy for them.

I have an 8-month-old baby now, and my son is 7. So, I¡¯m finding ways to cultivate more balance in my life and focusing on the things that matter most: family, friends and community. I¡¯ve learned that waking up every day is not guaranteed. So, I live my life full of gratitude. I am grateful to all the nurses, doctors, surgeons, and staff at MD Anderson who supported me ¡ª and do so every day, for thousands of other patients.

Dr. Litton told me that MD Anderson is working on new PARP inhibitors that may cause fewer side effects. That made me feel really good, too. Clearly, I wasn¡¯t the only person who struggled with the one I was on. But if what I went through was helpful for somebody else, then I¡¯m glad I did it.

Right now, my only lingering issues are osteoporosis and dry mouth. Those are no big deal, though, considering I¡¯m still here. I¡¯m just happy to be alive.?

If the cancer ever comes back, the new medication Dr. Litton mentioned could be an option for me. It might not save my life, but it could prolong it. And that would be OK.

or call 1-877-632-6789.

By late 2021, Jennifer Connaly and her husband, Trey, completed five rounds of IVF in the hopes of becoming pregnant with a second child. The process had been unsuccessful, but when she felt a lump in her left breast, she thought it could be a side effect of the medication she had been taking. At an exam with her gynecologist, she asked for a mammogram just to be sure. Jennifer was only 36 years old at the time.

When the mammogram showed a suspicious spot, she underwent a biopsy and ultrasound. Jennifer remembers receiving the call that she had stage II triple-negative breast cancer.?

¡°I was in shock,¡± Jennifer recalls. ¡°No one in my immediate family had dealt with cancer.¡±?

Jennifer, her husband and her parents gathered and prayed together while they processed the news. She also shared the diagnosis immediately with her 10-year-old son and her niece. One of Jennifer¡¯s family members was an MD Anderson employee and suggested she come to MD Anderson before making any treatment decisions.?

¡°I didn¡¯t know what to expect,¡± recalls Jennifer. ¡°After my first appointment at MD Anderson, I felt much more confident.¡±

Navigating breast cancer treatment, complications and work?

When Jennifer met with Abenaa Brewster, M.D., she?explained that the cancer was aggressive and the treatment would need to be, too. The plan was to start 24 weeks of chemotherapy with concurrent immunotherapy treatments every three weeks.

Unfortunately, Jennifer had a severe reaction to the immunotherapy. She was hospitalized with hemolysis, which is a breakdown of red blood cells. Despite the complications, scans revealed that the treatment was working. The tumor was shrinking.

Jennifer had started a new job near Pasadena, Texas at the time of her diagnosis, so she scheduled her chemotherapy treatments at MD Anderson League City on a Thursday, went to work on Friday, and used the weekend to recover from any side effects she was feeling.?

¡°Chemotherapy was actually the easiest part of treatment for me,¡± she says. ¡°It¡¯s important to stay on top of medications, especially if you¡¯re dealing with nausea. I had some fatigue, but it was manageable.¡±

In May 2022, Jennifer underwent a lumpectomy to remove the remaining tumor.?

But her complications weren¡¯t over. She had an acute liver injury and developed diabetes as a result of the steroid treatment for the liver injury, which required receiving insulin injections. Jennifer was treated by hepatologist , and was eventually able to discontinue taking insulin.

The final step in Jennifer¡¯s treatment plan was radiation therapy. But due to previous complications and medications, she was experiencing poor wound healing after surgery. She wasn¡¯t able to start radiation until her wounds were completely healed, which took about four months.

She underwent 30 rounds of daily radiation under the care of Jennifer says the treatment ¡°went rather well¡± and was able to continue working.

¡°The staff was amazing. They told me what to expect, played music for me and made me feel so comfortable,¡± says Jennifer. ¡°I knew at that point that my cancer was gone, and we were just killing any remaining cells, so that helped ease my mind.¡±

When she finished radiation treatment at the end of November 2022, Jennifer rang the bell at MD Anderson League City to mark the end of her treatment.

Gratitude for family, friends and MD Anderson¡¯s expertise

Jennifer now returns to MD Anderson for follow-up visits every four months. She appreciates being able to ask her care team questions through MyChart between appointments.?

¡°I still have my moments where I get a little scared, but I have to keep my faith,¡± says Jennifer. ¡°Now, I know what to expect if my cancer ever came back. MD Anderson really cares about their patients, and I know they¡¯re on top of it.¡±

She also tells the women in her life to get their mammograms and advocate for themselves.?

¡°Don¡¯t be scared to advocate for your health,¡± says advises. ¡°I saw two doctors who brushed me off before I found one who listened to me and got me a mammogram.¡±

Jennifer says the strength of her husband, family, God and friends helped her get through the ups and downs of treatment.

¡°Cancer not only affects the patient; it affects the entire family,¡± says Jennifer. ¡°My journey was far from easy, but I knew I was in the right place at MD Anderson.¡±

or by calling 1-877-632-6789.?