Episode #99: Trish Gauthier
Trish Gauthier is an unapologetic, New York born & raised cancer thriver and healthcare professional. She was 37 when she was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma (breast cancer).
Realizing that the second hardest thing after hearing “You have cancer”, was finding strong support and community while navigating through such difficult times. Using humor helps in her healing and relieves the stresses associated with her illness.
Trish is an advocate for breast cancer awareness and representation & is actively fighting systems to create an inclusive and progressive movement toward equity.
It was only a couple years after Trish Gauthier’s son had been diagnosed with leukemia that she received her own diagnosis: breast cancer. Even though she had just had her annual physical and everything had looked great, Trish knew that something was off in her body. On today’s episode, Trish talks to me about how she’s advocated for herself and her son through their journeys with illness, and how speaking up has served her during her experience with cancer. We talk about her decision to get a double mastectomy rather than a lumpectomy, and how this choice may have saved her life a second time. We also talk about Trish’s determination to find a community of people who could understand what she was going through, and how she made her best friends by sliding into people’s DMs. Finally, we talk about Trish’s advocacy for equity in the medical system, and she shares how we can all do our part to bring attention to inequity.
“I don’t think access and privilege should dictate if you survive from cancer.”
Here are some of the things Trish and I chatted about:
The feeling, even after recently passing her physical with flying colors, that something was off
Her quest to advocate and get answers for her son, and his ultimate diagnosis of leukemia
Finding her voice as an advocate and caregiver for her son during his journey with leukemia
How her cancer diagnosis came about, and what her experience with her doctor was like
The phone call she received telling her she had cancer--“the news that rocked her world”
Her fear around her diagnosis, and why she got a double mastectomy and not a lumpectomy
The cancer that was discovered during her surgery, but had not come up in any prior imaging
Boarding a plane early when she had just finished chemo, a what one person’s reaction was
The importance of finding community and people who understood what she was going through
How looking at hashtags on Instagram helped her meet people who became her best friends
The people she’s connected with, and her involvement with the nonprofit The Breasties
How other people’s stories have helped her, and in turn, how sharing her story supports others
Her dedication to speaking up about the inequities in healthcare that affect BIPOC patients
Why “if you see something, say something” is important when bringing attention to inequity
Her “Hip-Hop Happy Hour” Instagram Live series with Tiffany Dyba (Made Visible Episode #7)
Why she wants everyone be feel empowered to speak up for themselves and self-advocate
“Don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself. What do you have to lose?”
Follow Trish: Instagram
Tune in to Hip-Hop Happy Hour every Friday at 6 EST via Trish’s Instagram!
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