I am an African-American, professional-working mother. My own mother is a breast-cancer survivor. To boot, I find Doc Gurley’s article particularly intriguing since I have three aunts who passed from this disease and four cousins who have been diagnosed and treated for this cancer in the last year.

Given the hereditary factor of this insidious disease, my doctors have ensured that I get regular mammograms/breast-ultrasounds, and a “Nurse Ratched”-like practitioner gave me the unsolicited advice to (as a preventative measure) have both my breasts surgically removed. As well-intended as both the practical and ill-advised precautions seem, how useful are they given that breast-cancer research is largely based on European and Caucasian-American populations?

Not having relevant, epidemiological results to consult, has certainly limited my ability to make informed decisions about my health and to support love ones facing this cancer. After reading Doc Gurley’s article, I am not only better informed but am empowered to copy, paste and print copies of the sample-letter link she’s provided to mail to my congressional representatives as well as health and opinion leaders to advocate for a more inclusive allocation of health-research funding.