2025 Komen Dallas North Texas Race for the Cure

My maternal grandmother, lovingly known as my “Grammy Allen” was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after losing my grandfather to Stage IV Esophageal Cancer. She had a mastectomy on her 60th birthday and after chemo treatments, her hair grew back in its natural, beautiful strawberry hued blonde color. We had 6 more years with her before she passed away from Lewey Body Dementia.

When I turned 40 and had my first mammogram. I received the results from my doctor who said “you’re good, we’ll see you next year!”. A few days later I received a letter from the imaging center stating that though my results were negative, I had dense breast tissue and that I could have diagnostic and/or supplemental testing to follow-up. I talked to my doctor and inquired with insurance about this additional testing and was told it was not covered and would cost me approximately $1200 out of pocket. Further discussions with my doctor about this additional testing led to the same “you’re good, we’ll see you next year” comment. So every year since then, I go in (with bated breath) to get my initial mammogram and patiently wait for my letter.

Fast forward to this year, I went to Washington DC for the Komen Advocacy Summit where I learned about the ABCD Act, or Access to Breast Cancer Diagnosis Act. It’s a proposed piece of legislation aimed at eliminating out-of-pocket costs for diagnostic breast cancer testing. I thought “That’s me! This is what I need!” This bill would require private health insurance plans to cover the follow-up diagnostic tests required after an initial screening.

The ABCD Act isn’t new. Since its first introduction in 2019, different representatives have co-sponsored the bill, but it still hasn’t been enacted into law. It was most recently introduced on April 28th, and on April 29th I got to personally speak to several state representatives about the importance of this act and put my face to the act. How cool is that? Advocating for this bill shows support of the legislation and emphasizes its potential to improve early detection and outcomes for breast cancer patients. One of the keys to effective advocacy is sharing personal stories and I’m proud to share mine and be a part of something that could help others in the same situation.

Your support helps us get one step closer to a world without breast cancer. Funds raised help support breakthrough research and provide assistance to those facing breast cancer who need our support.

Will you join me in this fight?