Breast Cancer Awareness | North Carolina woman grateful for early detection amid low survival rate for Black women
You wouldn't know it if she didn't tell you, but Saptosa Foster has been a silent warrior over the past year. She's been battling a disease that didn't run in her family.
" Breast cancer looks like me. I never thought I'd ever say that because I had never had any chronic illnesses growing up, said Saptosa Foster. "I'm a person who finds it difficult to ask for help. I'm the strong friend."
Foster, 49, has always been consistent with mammograms . Doctors at the Wilson Medical Center identified the stage 1 tumor in April of 2024 after she said she had no signs that she was living with breast cancer.
"This was not a tumor you could feel. It was the size of a pencil eraser. I do self-breast exams," she said.
Foster had a lumpectomy in June of 2024. While in recovery, she often spent time reflecting on her backyard patio. Doctors said no chemotherapy was needed, but she underwent an isolated form of radiation.
She stayed at the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge in Greenville during treatment.
"This was a huge, huge blessing just to be able to have this detected when it was. So many things lined up in my favor. I feel it's important to talk and tell people about how it doesn't have to be a death sentence," Foster said.
According to the American Cancer Society , 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer . Black women are more likely to be diagnosed in later stages and, as a result, have the lowest survival rate for every known stage of breast cancer.
"We want to know why. Are they being treated differently? Is it their environment? What is it?" questioned Tammy Messercola with the American Cancer Society.
Messercola said the American Cancer Society is recruiting for a new study called the Voices of Black Women. It's something the organization hopes could be a game-changer for early detection in Black women.
Foster has been a cancer survivor since June 2024. She rang the bell with gratitude because doctors detected the disease in its early stages. She credits therapy and her village for helping her navigate the past year. Her mother, in particular, has shown the most support as she's overcome the most difficult moment of her life.
"It takes a village to not only raise a child, but to keep an adult alive, too. I'm so grateful I had that village," she said.
The American Cancer Society is holding its Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of the Triangle, NC walk on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park at 8:00 a.m.
