MARP 2023: Linda and Anna
Linda Natale, Advocate and Anna Adam-Artigues, Researcher
I had the great honor of being selected for MARP and meeting Anna, my researcher partner. Hearing her story oh how she came here from Spain to work at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx NY was very interesting. She has traveled so far to come here to make a difference in breast cancer research. She immediately impressed me with her passion for breast cancer research. Her lab, at the Cancer Dormancy and Tumor Microenvironment Institute, is looking into the treatment of dormant breast cancer cells. She explained that a patient would still receive the standard of care for the active cells, in addition to the new treatment to destroy the dormant cells. One of these new treatments is a PERK specific inhibitor. I was very excited to hear that this research is underway.
As a breast cancer patient without any prior medical knowledge, I would normally be very intimidated by speaking with a person who is so educated in the molecular biology of cancer, but anna spoke to me in such an easy to understand way. She made me feel comfortable to ask questions that I might have considered stupid in the past. I liked her immediately and found her to be someone I would be proud to call a friend. I also had the privilege of meeting two of her colleagues from The Montefiore Medical Center, who were also amazing. All three are so patient with us asking questions and very open to discussing research with us. They have requested permission to give a tour of their lab and current work in the near future for a few of the local advocates. This is something I have always wanted to participate in. The passion Anna has for her research work is notice in her enthusiasm in explaining everything.
The idea of bringing the gap between patient advocates and researchers was a constant theme felt throughout the entire conference. I came away from the conference feeling that a lot of great new ideas and treatments are in the process of being created by the most incredible minds in breast cancer research.
When I was selected for MARP I had already imagined that it would be such a special experience. However, it was even better than imagined. Meeting Linda, hearing about her story since she was diagnosed with breast cancer and talking about our common interest of fighting breast cancer was incredible. We had a great time discussing about the research we do in the lab and I tried my best to explain her all our new ideas and projects that are currently underway. It is fascinating to see how she was interested in our work, in the molecular biology and how fast patients advocates learn about this field.
Having this personal connection with patients advocates, and specially with Linda, gives me an extra strength to come and work hard every day in the lab. It revives my passion for breast cancer research and reminds me the big reason I am doing this work: to help breast cancer patients.
As she already mentioned, we are now planning to have some patient advocates coming to the lab to show them our every-day work, explain them all the ideas and experiments. I feel so excited about them seeing in person how the future treatments and discoveries start in a lab under a microscope.
Being part of MARP in this MBCRC 2023 has been such a great experience that I am hoping to repeat in the future. I also hope to see Linda again there but, first, seeing her in the lab!!