ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Over the weekend, women of color in St. Petersburg shared their experiences with breast cancer, domestic violence and mental health.
The program, titled “Living Beyond the Scars,” featured speakers who have lived through some of the most difficult challenges anyone can face and overcome.
One woman in particular spoke about her battle with cancer.
“People expect you to fight,” Kelly Tompkins-Ayaka said to the audience. “I’ve always had a strong will, but I don’t know why. I just had that strength within me.”
But until she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019, she had no idea how much her inner strength would be tested.
“The lump in my breast was not benign,” Tompkins Ayaka said. “But at first they said yes. It didn’t go to my chest. It was in my lymph nodes.”
And if battling breast cancer wasn’t enough, Ayaka Tompkins also had to battle a benign tumor in her brain.
That’s why organizers say having women talk about their journeys was a big part of Sunday’s gathering.
“This event aims to create a safe space to discuss the things that affect us most, especially during this time,” said event organizer Charlene Emanuel Edwards. “Breast cancer, domestic violence, and mental health affect Black women at a disproportionate rate compared to other women in our communities. We are committed to helping us move forward and learn. , we wanted to create an afternoon of just healing, talking, and sharing stories.”
According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, it is estimated that 43,000 women in the United States will die from breast cancer this year. Black women are 40% more likely to die than white women and 30% more likely than Hispanic women.
But Tompkins Ayaka refuses to be a statistic.
“How was I going to get through this? It wasn’t a question of why. For me it was how. Day by day,” she said.
Around that time, Tompkins Ayaka earned her second master’s degree, and at 61, she says she still has a lot of work left to do.
“Some days I’m just tired and fed up,” Tompkins Ayaka said. “But you still have to work hard and make the decision, “Okay, I want to live.”
