J amil Rivers was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer at age 39. Determined to fight and be here for her children, husband and family, she researched vigorously to learn how to best prepare for her battle to survive. Jamil initially had chemotherapy treatment, she worked to improve her nutrition with food and supplements, and incorporated integrative therapies for side effects. She is doing well and now on endocrine therapy. She continues to work full-time as a nonprofit chief financial officer and live an active life. She believes that the research she did to prepare herself for her cancer fight has been critical in her recovery and overall wellness. She became an advocate to use her voice and experiences to help advance legislative policy, medical research and customize support to better meet the needs of individuals impacted by breast cancer, particularly for metastatic and African American patients. Jamil is President of METAvivor Research and Support, a Young Advocate and Board Member of Living Beyond Breast Cancer. She is a policy, science and health equity advocate, and metastatic advisory committee member with Susan G. Komen. She is a member and patient advisor of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance. She is a proposal reviewer for the Breast Cancer Research Program with the Department of Defense and a Project LEAD graduate. She also launched The Chrysalis Initiative which provides mentoring, and resource navigation, to women with breast cancer, and engages in outreach and education for African American women to assess their breast cancer risk. Through Jamil’s work, she has participated in countless community health events, facilitated the design and funding of two metastatic clinical trials, met with leadership within the Pennsylvania governor’s office and congressional leaders in Washington, D.C., testified to the (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and connected numerous women to resources for screenings, treatment and support. Jamil has been featured in People Magazine, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Tribune, national campaigns for Anthropologie, Novartis, Pfizer, and Cancer and Careers, and has also made appearances on CBS News and Good Morning America. Jamil and her husband, Rick, have three children and reside in Drexel Hill, PA. The following are excerpts from the interview with Jamil that was conducted on October 17, 2022. Celeste: What are the primary goals as president of METAvivor Research and Support, Inc.? Jamil Rivers: To bring more public awareness to metastatic breast cancer and to raise more money for metastatic breast cancer research. I think that most people, the general public, thinks that no one dies from metastatic breast cancer anymore. The survival rate, across all stages, for five years is good, however, we still have many people…115 people per day… that are still dying from breast cancer. So, it is great that we are not dying immediately, but we still have a lot of people dying from breast cancer, which the breast cancer that you die from…is metastatic breast Jamil has been featured in People Magazine, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Tribune, national campaigns for Anthropologie, Novartis, Pfizer, and Cancer and Careers, and has also made appearances on CBS News and Good Morning America. Jamil and her husband, Rick, have three children and reside in Drexel Hill, PA. 25
26 Publizr Home