Sheila Johnson Patient Advocate
A powerful and passionate speaker with a compelling story, Sheila Johnson is a pioneering breast cancer advocate with a particular focus on the black community. She has overcome personal adversity to help support and educate her community about the risks of breast cancer and how to advocate for yourself once diagnosed. “Breast cancer affects black women differently as we are proportionally dying at a faster rate due to many socioeconomic factors that affect the black community. All women should be given the same standard of care and the same treatment options once diagnosed with breast cancer.”
Sheila uses her voice to raise awareness about the racial disparities faced by black women throughout their breast cancer journey. Receiving a breast cancer diagnosis is devastating for anyone, and Sheila passionately believes that racial disparities should not have an impact on the standard of treatment that black women receive. Sheila has also taken part in a clinical trial, something that she feels is vitally important because African American women are under-represented in clinical trials.
A metastatic breast cancer (MBC) survivor for 10 years, Sheila seeks to empower and support breast cancer patients and survivors, using her voice to educate and provide hope to other MBC patients.
Sheila is a decorated United States Air Force military veteran who served for 25 years active duty. She views every day as a chance to impact lives positively. “Every day is a new challenge for me. Every day, I get up and I ask myself how I can make the breast cancer community a better space not only for newly diagnosed women and men but also for survivors.”