Novella Brown
Highlights
- Panelist, 2022 Knowledge is power: Black breast cancer experience
- Single mom of one child, foster mom of over 90 children
Novella Brown is a single mom of one child, a foster mom of over 90 children including some additional family members, and a breast cancer survivor. She is a go-getter. When she wants something, she works hard to get it; however, she generally loves doing simple things, like computer gaming, watching a good movie, or whipping up a new recipe.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer after she discovered dimples on her right breast after showering one day. She was not concerned, but she knew she needed to get it checked out. After much testing, she was diagnosed with lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) on her right breast. She had abnormal cells in her left breast, but there was no evidence of cancer. Just before surgery she decided to have a double mastectomy. Afterwards the medical team found stage 0 ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in the left breast.
Novella is now on daily and monthly meds to keep cancer at bay, but she continues to live life on her terms.