Shonte Drakeford, MSN, CRNP, AGNPC
Nutrition Coordinator, Project Life
Highlights
- Speaker, 2025 Conference on Metastatic Breast Cancer
- Actively involved in research and quality-of-life advocacy
- Grant advisor for Georgetown University’s Lombardi Cancer Program
Shonte Drakeford, MSN, CRNP, AGNPC, is a 40-year-old Washington, D.C., native, foster child, farmer, board-certified nurse practitioner, Army wife, German shepherd mama, and a friend to all. She was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer on June 17, 2015, through self-discovery. The cancer has metastasized to her lungs, hip, rib, spine, and lymph nodes. She also carries a genetic trait for colon cancer.
Shonte is triple-positive and began cancer detection at age 25, but denials and delays in screening for six years resulted in a de novo diagnosis. She has been thriving these past nine years, living without fear and embracing life as positively as possible. She continues to educate and advocate using the most evidence-based research in metastatic breast cancer care. With the unique perspective of both patient and provider, her core mission is to care for and show compassion to others. She believes in the power of her voice to promote inclusion and representation, advocating for the underserved community, young people living with breast cancer, people of color, and anyone willing to listen.
Actively involved in research and quality-of-life advocacy, Shonte has trained with the Tigerlily Foundation and Living Beyond Breast Cancer’s Hear My Voice program. She has also served as a board member for Metavivor and Project Life MBC, and acted as an advisor for GRASP, The Chrysalis Initiative, Touch The Black Breast Cancer Alliance, and 2for2boobs. She is also a grant advisor for Georgetown University’s Lombardi Cancer Program. In 2024, she delivered a TEDx Talk on metastatic breast cancer and her journey of "living for the dash."
Shonte has collaborated with organizations including Daiichi Sankyo, Seattle Genentech, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Her published work has appeared in Healthline, Insider, Huffington Post, and the American Association for Cancer Research. She has been featured in media outlets such as WUSA9 and Glamour Magazine and was recognized as one of the “Top DC Nurses” by Because of Them We Can.
Refusing to let cancer stand in the way of her aspirations, Shonte lives by her motto: “Enjoy life as much as you can, while you can, until you can't.” She receives treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center’s John P. Murtha Cancer Center in Bethesda, Maryland.