Finding New Purpose
I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer at age 40. I was shocked when given the bad news because I just had a mammogram a few months before. I later learned that Asian women have denser breast tissue, which is why the regular mammogram could not detect the tumor. I was even more surprised to learn that many Asian American women I knew had breast cancer, but nobody talked about it. Many suffer in silence, feeling isolated and stigmatized, because cancer is a subject no one wants to talk about in the Asian American community. In fact, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Asian American women. Yet when compared to other racial groups, Asian American women have the lowest screening service utilization rate. Language and cultural barriers often prevent people from seeking proper, timely treatment and support, which have a great impact on the survival outcomes.
Looking back, the most terrifying thing that happened during my cancer journey was not losing my hair, my breast or my life – it was losing my mind! I experienced paranoia and delirium, rare side-effects of the steroid Prednisone, during my cancer treatment. I thought my in-laws’ refusal to accept meals and carpool offers from neighbors and friends was their way of intentionally isolating me from the outside world because they were ashamed of me. At one point, I thought my husband was conspiring with my in-laws to kill me and I wanted him to be removed from my Health Care Proxy. I was extremely depressed for almost a year before I slowly dug myself out, with amazing peer support, mental health care and service to others. I realized that when I stop focusing on my own suffering and start helping others, then healing begins. I emerged from my battle feeling blessed, empowered and passionate about peer support and mental health.
I am very grateful that I have a second chance to live a productive life. I believe I can save lives by educating and offering Asian-American women early detection services. I also understand that personal stories can be a powerful tool to change people’s perception, attitude and behaviors. These two beliefs inspired me to create the Asian Breast Cancer (ABC) Project in 2010, to train bilingual, bi-cultural Asian women to deliver breast health workshops in Mandarin, Cantonese and Vietnamese. I also worked with other women to organize social and educational events for survivors and their loved ones. Our signature benefit fashion show, CelebrASIANS, is an uplifting event that celebrates the resilience and courage of Asian cancer and/or trauma survivors while showcasing the creations of Asian designers.
With the support of a group of dedicated Asian women, Asian Women for Health (AWFH) was established in November 2012 to build upon the success of the Asian Breast Cancer Project and eventually became a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit. AWFH is now a thought leader and an innovative trailblazer that uses culture-specific approaches and experiential activities, to improve health and health care delivery to Asian women across the State of Massachusetts. My journey taught me that it is extremely important for people in my community to see others who have beaten the disease.
About Chien-Chi Huang
Chien-Chi Huang is the founder of the Asian Breast Cancer Project and the Founder and Executive Director of Asian Women for Health, an innovative project that uses culture-specific approaches and experiential activities to improve health and health care delivery to Asian women across the State of Massachusetts. Chien-Chi's personal cancer journey led her to participate in national, as well as local efforts on health equity and racial justice. Her passion for peer support and mental health in the Asian community has changed the healthcare landscape for Asian women, and created a pipeline of future leaders and peer health educators.