Maimah is our model for our 2006 Secret Red.

February 28th, 2006 . . . Maimah was diagnosed with breast cancer.

I was totally in the grip of fear.

As soon as Maimah discovered a lump in her breast, she went to see her doctor.  She had no history of breast cancer.  Her doctor referred her to a breast surgeon who examined her, performed an unsuccessful aspiration, then told her that she was too young to get breast cancer so she should just ignore the lump.

Six months later when the lump had doubled in size, Maimah made another visit to see her doctor.  This time, Maimah insisted that a biopsy be done, against the doctor’s wishes.  The biopsy revealed breast cancer.  Maimah immediately got a new doctor.

With a new medical team in place, procedures and treatments began. Maimah’s cancer was an aggressive Stage 2. Her Elston score, which measures the cancer’s aggression, was high.  “I was blessed to have an incredible group of health care professionals working to save my life,” says Maimah.  “The surgeon, oncologist, and radiology staff put aside all pretense and treated me with great care and compassion.”

“I went through the initial fear and shock followed by a huge rush of being overwhelmed.  My biggest concern was for my 3- year- old daughter.  I was terrified that I might not be able to be the best mother during this time. What if the cancer took my life ?”

Family rallied around Maimah.  Her mother, aunts, and friends provided support.  “My mother took care of me like I was a baby.  She would hold me all night long when I was afraid, and comfort me when I cried.  She took care of me and my daughter.”

Wanting to know as much about breast cancer as she could, Maimah turned to the internet to learn and explore.  She discovered groups and resources like the Young Survival Coalition, Y-ME, and breastcancer.org which were very helpful to her.

Compounding the pain and uncertainty of her situation was the abrupt breakup of her relationship with the father of her daughter.  “He called me from work a few days after my surgery and  told me that he wanted out. He could not and did not want to deal with me anymore. I was devastated.”

Coming to Maimah’s aid was her 3-year-old daughter. “I think the goodness of God is revealed through children.  My daughter hugged me when I cried.  When the chemotherapy made me throw up, she would hold my hand and tell me that she loved me and that I would be better soon.  She told me that I was beautiful when I felt like anything but a woman. She would say the most incredibly touching things at just the right time. God sent this child to me for a reason, and I could not have made it through the hellacious times without her.”

Maimah’s cancer experience changed many parts of her life.  “I learned that we don't fix things through fighting, but we can mend through embracing, learning, and healing from the inside out.  Through cancer, I realized that there were millions of people - women, men and children that  I could impact.  It wasn't solely about MY cancer or MY experience or MY life; it was about a larger purpose, and so I embraced the things in me that were broken so that I could be healed and help create healing for others.  I am actually happier and more fulfilled now after cancer than before.”

Helping others with the disease is a major focus for Maimah. She founded a breast cancer organization called Tigerlily Foundation whose goal it is to educate, empower, advocate for, and provide hands-on, ground level support for women affected by breast cancer.  It provides daily support to women who are living with breast cancer. Tigerlily Foundation's programs include a Chemotherapy Buddy Program where volunteers support people while they go through chemotherapy. These volunteers also can provide grocery, meal, house keeping, and other services to assist patients.  More can be learned about the Tigerlily Foundation www.tigerlilyfoundation.org.

Another Tigerlily Foundation program is Funds for Families, which provides women with financial assistance to help them with co-payments, prescription costs, medical bills and other day-to-day bills that arise while they are going through treatment. Tigerlily Foundation’s Project Liberia  is endeavoring to help build a breast cancer facility in her native country of Liberia as well as to send supplies and medicine there.  The Tigerlily Foundation helped to send a mammography machine to Liberia in 2007.  It was the first digital breast imaging machine the country has had in over 16 years.

About Maimah

Maimah lives in Virginia and enjoys a very active life of working to fight breast cancer.  She treasures her time with her daughter and her friends and family.