After her diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), health journalist Patricia Prijatel did what any reporter would do: start investigating the disease, how it occurs, and how it's treated. While she learned that important research was emerging, she found a noticeable lack of resources on the disease, which affects 70,000 women a year and differs from hormone-positive breast cancer in important ways, including prognosis and treatment options. Hormone negative breast cancer disproportionately affects younger women and African-American women - and it can be more dangerous than other types of breast cancer.
But there are many reasons to be hopeful, as Prijatel learned. Through her blog, Positives About Negative, she has met hundreds of women who have told her their stories and shared their fears, confusion, and frustration. After her recovery, she began writing this book to provide the first dedicated resource for women diagnosed with TNBC.
Surviving Triple Negative Breast Cancer delivers research-based information on the biology of TNBC; the role of genetics, family history, and race; how to navigate treatment options; and a plethora of strategies to reduce the risk of recurrence, including diet and lifestyle changes. In clear, approachable language, Prijatel provides an accessible guide to understanding a pathology report and a vast array of scientific studies. Woven throughout the book are stories of women who have faced TNBC. These are mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters who went through a variety of medical treatments and then got on with life -- one competes in triathlons, two had babies after being treated with chemo, one got remarried in her 50s, and one just celebrated the 30th birthday of the son she was nursing when she was diagnosed.
With honesty and humor, Prijatel's inspiring story shows the heart of a survivor. Her message is that TNBC is a disease to take seriously, with proper and occasionally aggressive treatment, but it is not automatically a killer. Most women diagnosed with the disease do survive. Surviving Triple Negative Breast Cancer is a roadmap for women who want to be empowered through their treatment and recovery.
