In October 2000, 56-year-old Tina Phipps visited her ob-gyn for her annual physical. Her physician noticed a lump in her right breast. "I got the diagnosis that it was cancer October 26. Oddly enough it was Breast Cancer Awareness Month." She had a lumpectomy and breast preservation therapy. She soon enrolled in a clinical trial.

 

 

Her husband, Paul, fought a brave battle against lung cancer 3 1/2 years earlier and died. She sought out the same physicians with whom she'd developed relationships during her husband's care.

 

 

"I don't think it's easy to get people involved in trials, but it's necessary to do it to pave the way. So much of women's health care problems are stigmatized and hidden."

 

A runny nose, an amplified sense of smell, nausea, hair loss and constipation are the only side effects she experienced. Again, attitude is everything. She also participated in the breast cancer support group and enjoyed the camaraderie and rapport she developed with many of the women there.

 

 

Participants in the clinical trials receive heightened attention while enrolled and the physicians and nurses are available around the clock. "They wanted to know if I even sneezed. Anytime I had a question, I called. They responded quickly and answered the questions."

 

"The hardest part was comforting friends and family," she says. "But I kept telling them; I'm not going to die. I've got too much to do."