Every October, the world turns pink, and the message is simple: get your mammogram. It's the right message. Awareness is where the journey begins, and for many of us, it starts with a single appointment.
But I'm a breast cancer survivor, and I know the mammogram is only the first step. Fighting breast cancer takes an all-hands-on-deck approach, and one of the most critical members of that team is one who patients rarely meet: the pathologist.
When a screening finds something suspicious, a biopsy follows. That tissue goes to a pathologist, and what happens next shapes everything. The pathologist confirms whether cancer is present, determines the type and grade, and assesses the markers that guide treatment decisions. My own diagnosis – a Grade 2 invasive carcinoma – came from a pathology report that set the course for my entire care. I didn't know it then, but every conversation with my surgeon and oncologist was built on my pathologist's work.
That is why I call pathologists the foundation of precision medicine. There are more options for patients today than ever before: new treatments, tailored therapies, and growing support through navigators, survivor networks, and advocacy organizations. But a treatment can only be matched to a tumor if someone first understands the tumor's biology. Without an accurate, timely diagnosis, the most promising therapy in the world has nothing to stand on.
I experienced the other side of that work when I met with my pathologist and viewed my own tissue slides through digital pathology. Seeing my cancer, explained in clear, human terms, transformed how I understood what was happening inside my body. It gave me a sense of connection, empowerment, and peace I never expected. That conversation did something no scan or report could: it made me a more informed partner in my own care.
It also changed what I do with my time. As a patient advocate volunteer, I now work at the local, state, and national levels to bring that experience to more patients.
Locally, I serve on the Ambulatory Infusion unit-based committee at Michigan Medicine. Unit-based committees are closer to the work. They put patients at the table with the nurses, staff, and leaders who deliver care every day, so the changes we make happen right where patients experience them. It's my way of giving back to the institution that saved my life. Through the American Cancer Society's Reach to Recovery program, I also meet one-on-one with newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, which reminds me every time how frightening those first days are and how much clear information and a caring voice can mean.
Statewide, I serve on the Michigan Hospital Association's Person and Family Engagement Advisory Council and contribute to the Michigan Cancer Consortium Clinical Trials Project, helping cancer patients learn about trial opportunities as part of their care. That work matters for precision medicine too, because the therapies of tomorrow depend on patients who know trials are an option. I also participate as a patient advocate in the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs' Continuum of Care Consortium, which works to improve care transitions.
Nationally, I've volunteered with the American Society for Clinical Pathology since 2016 as an ASCP Patient Champion, bringing my perspective as a breast cancer patient to the work of elevating pathology and the laboratory in patient-centered care. Through that work, I brought the idea of patient-centered pathology clinics to ASCP, and I had the privilege of joining a team of like-minded pathologists from across the country who were already doing this work. The result was the Pathology Clinics: Design, Delivery & Impact certificate workshop, a seven-module program that gives pathology practices a roadmap for talking with patients about their diagnoses.
I also bring the patient perspective to the Digital Pathology Association's Patient Engagement Committee, where I co-chair two sub workgroups. And I serve as the Patient Adviser for MyPathologyReport.com, a website created by Jason Wasserman to help patients understand their pathology reports. I've been a patient advocate for the site for many years, and I'm honored that Dr. Wasserman invited me into a new role as the single patient voice who reviews new articles and proposed site changes. My job is to read everything as a patient would, so that it's clear, easy to understand, and patient-friendly. Because a pathology report can feel like a document written in another language, and patients deserve to be able to read their own.
Across all of it, I see the same thing. When a pathologist steps forward to explain a diagnosis, whether through an explanation clinic, a patient-friendly report, or simply a willingness to sit down and talk, the effect is profound. Pathology-clinic programs at Mayo Clinic, Duke Health, UCLA, Tufts Medical, Endeavor Health, and Michigan Medicine have shown that this is possible, and that patients value it.
I also want to recognize the laboratory professionals who work alongside pathologists. On every chemotherapy day, my treatment began with a blood draw, and I depended on the lab for timely, accurate results to know it was safe to proceed. Their precision made my care possible.
To the pathologists reading this: thank you. Your work is often unseen, but it is never unfelt. As a survivor, I will always be grateful to the pathologist who helped save my life.
To everyone else: get screened, ask questions, and know that behind your diagnosis stands a team determined to help you.
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