Jamie Jones lost her mother, Carol, to metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in 2017. Carol’s journey with MBC led Jamie to change the direction of her life. She is now a cancer tumor registrar, a data information specialist who collects and reports cancer statistics. She is also a Komen advocate.
My mom never missed a mammogram in 30 years. My family lives outside of Cleveland, so my mom and dad relocated to the Cleveland area when she was diagnosed. My mom would say there’s a silver lining in everything and said if she hadn’t been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, she never would have had that time with her kids and grandkids.
Breast cancer does not run on my mother’s side of the family. She was 67 when she was diagnosed. I thought I knew something about breast cancer when she was diagnosed, but the more I looked into it, I was like wow, I really knew nothing.
My son and daughter were really close to my mom. We have a Walk team, which we formed in 2014, the year she was diagnosed. Recently, my son had to take something small to school that represented his life, and he took a breast cancer ribbon. Even at 12, he wants to do what he can to honor her.
My whole life, my mom was an advocate for me and when my parents moved here, I wanted to be an advocate for her. I realized there wasn’t a lot of research going to metastatic breast cancer and I wanted to find out if there was something I could do to get funds headed in that direction. I became an advocacy ambassador with Komen, to carry on my mother’s legacy. I continue this fight in her honor because I know she’d do that for me and she would want me to continue.
I don’t think there are enough nice words in the dictionary to describe my mom. She was an amazing spirit, and she’s really what keeps me motivated to find the cures. I have my own daughter now, so it’s even more important for me. I don’t want my daughter to ever have to go through what I did.
Jamie talks about her advocacy work with Komen here.
Statements and opinions expressed are that of the individual and do not express the views or opinions of Susan G. Komen. This information is being provided for educational purposes only and is not to be construed as medical advice. Persons with breast cancer should consult their healthcare provider with specific questions or concerns about their treatment.
