Today we’d like to introduce you to Shay Sharpe.
Hi Shay , so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was diagnosed with stage III ER+/PR+ breast cancer at age of 26. At that time I was unaware that a woman my age could receive a breast cancer diagnosis. I was under the impression that breast cancer was an older woman’s disease. I definitely didn’t think you could get breast cancer before age 40, because 40 is all you ever hear in relation to breast cancer and mammograms. I felt alone and confused. I had questions! Lots of them! How could I have breast cancer? Will this little lump in my left breast kill me? Who will take care of my daughter? Will my daughter have breast cancer? What about my mom? I don’t have a family history of breast cancer. I had never seen a young African American woman on commercials, billboards or talked about in the media, so how could this be? I went through the bulk of my breast cancer treatment without any help from support groups, resources, social media or the cancer community. While undergoing treatment I saw first hand the void in services for young women.
It was heartbreaking. Young women often have many questions, fears and concerns that aren’t touched on in support groups of older women. I wasn’t aware of any groups that catered to the needs of young women and I often thought of creating one, but I had no idea where to start. I felt that young women my age were being ignored by the cancer community until a couple years later, when I met two women who invited me into a group that focused on young women with breast cancer. While involved with that group, I began mentoring other young women, sharing my story in the community, high schools, colleges and volunteering, when my harsh lingering side effects allowed it.
The young women I spoke with could easily relate to me and connect with my testimony, because I looked like them. I looked their age, I was the girl in the club, not the image of their parents or grandparents. Looking at me, made the possibility of getting breast cancer real to them (according to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer was the #1 killing cancer that year for girls/women aged 15-55)
My experiences and partnerships in the community afforded me the opportunity to meet many inspiring young women, some of their stories touched me in a way that I will never forget. The most heartfelt testimonies came from the stage IV breast cancer patients and I formed a special bond with them over the years. Unfortunately, I have walked many of them from the beginning to the end of their journeys. These very special young women have shared their fears, concerns, tears and wishes with me. Each of these relationships has granted me with more strength, power, and an increased purpose…and thus, one of my greatest accomplishments, Shay Sharpe’s Pink Wishes (SSPW) was founded in 2011.
In August 2014, at age 36, almost 10 years to the exact day of my initial diagnosis, breast cancer returned in my left breast. I found the lump myself, AGAIN! I didn’t have to undergo chemo this time, but I did undergo radiation AGAIN. I thought the 2nd time would be easier, because I knew what to expect. Boy was I wrong!! My breast cancer recurrence was extremely difficult!! I had my left breast removed again, actually removed forever, before starting radiation. I burned really bad during this round of radiation, which made them have to extend my course of treatment . I have reached my radiation max and I can never have radiation again.
I’m tired. I’m fatigued. I’ve gained a ton of weight. I’m so worn out! I’m in full blown menopause thanks to my oophorectomy, so needless to say, I’m hot too! After my body had a little rest, I decided to have my right breast removed again too. I have opted out of any more reconstruction and made the decision to stay flat, BKA Aesthetic Flat Closure. No fat transfer, no implants, no prosthesis. I’m just gonna rock my flat chest! Surprisingly enough, It was an easy decision. No second thought. No hesitation. No regrets! I LOVE IT!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I may have mentioned this answer in my previous response.
Also, this is my first time answering interview questions in this format so not exactly sure when I’m giving too much, too little or if the response should be about my personal breast cancer journey or Shay Sharpe’s Pink Wishes.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a retiree. When my time and health allows, my team of volunteers and I educate, advocate, and support many women’s health initiatives but my favorite is Shay Sharpe’s Pink Wishes.
Shay Sharpe’s Pink Wishes (SSPW) is a 501c3 non profit organization based in Baltimore that assists young women who have been affected by breast cancer. SSPW also has a Pink Ribbon Maryland license plate. (Details to order a set can be found on our website www.shaysharpespinkwishes.org)
We have had people call us the Make A Wish for adults. Lol. When we started in 2011, our plan was to simply grant wishes to young women, who were diagnosed under age 40, with terminal breast cancer. Since that time it has snowballed into so many programs and resources, not just for those here in Baltimore, but across the US and most surprisingly across the globe. Women from across the United States and Canada have also come to Maryland to join us at our annual Black Tie Gala, as we have highlighted patients, raised funds, granted wishes and provided college scholarships.
We have granted countless Christmas Wishes to children whose moms were in treatment during the holidays, or whose moms have passed away from breast cancer. We have sat with patients during their chemo treatments or Dr appointments, sent food, robes & supplies after surgeries, sent families on vacations, and also sat with patients as they took their last breaths.
There were many programs that I was unable to participate in because I wasn’t age 40 at the time of my diagnosis, so I wanted to ensure that nobody had to encounter the same problems as I, just because people thought they were too young for breast cancer, so we catered to that demographic. Unfortunately Baltimore has a pretty high percentage of young women with breast cancer, so the need ended up being way more than I expected, but I’ve had the opportunity to meet some amazing young women over the years.
Many organizations are just about awareness, SSPW is actually boots on the ground, doing the work and giving patients the actual support or resources they need in real time.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
People often think that we automatically receive grants and funds from the government and companies to fund the work that we do and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Most of our donations actually come from our social media friends. We don’t have a lot of many, we are often behind on bills, but we always seem to have just enough to take care of our SSPW girls in their time of need.
The work that SSPW carries out would be impossible without our volunteers, team and social media supporters across the US. (If you’re an amazing fundraiser or grant writer, please join our team. We need you!)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shaysharpespinkwishes.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaysharpespinkwishes
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shaysharpespinkwishes
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@shaysharpepinkwishes
