How Surviving Breast Cancer Inspired Sandra Lee to Make it Easier for Women to Get Mammograms
Sometimes the future of cancer care comes not from scientists in labs, but from people who have been affected by the disease.
That’s the case with Sandra Lee, the television star, cookbook author, and First Girlfriend of New York State: She went from patient to survivor to advocate for others.
Sandra Lee’s cancer journey
When Sandra’s doctor contacted her in the spring of 2015 and said she needed a biopsy
of a lump in her breast, she didn’t worry too much about it.
“I had no immediate family history of breast cancer, so I just thought it was something I had to get done and that it wasn’t a big deal,” she says.
But it was a big deal: Sandra had an early form of breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ, and she ultimately underwent a double mastectomy. The diagnosis spurred her to learn as much as possible about cancer-and do everything she could to keep other women from going through the painful process she did.
Sharing a message
For the nearly 300,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the U.S., the question “What next?” often looms large. Sandra spearheaded a documentary, Rx: Early Detection, A Cancer Journey With Sandra Lee, that takes viewers with her to appointments, into surgery, and home as she experiences the long, painful recovery process. Her raw and emotional journey was applauded by the likes of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Stand Up to Cancer, but Sandra wasn’t done reaching out to people everywhere.
Where your health fits in
Sandra happens to be the longtime partner of New York governor Andrew Cuomo, and after her diagnosis, she says, three women in his office went to get screenings and found out they had breast cancer too. She was determined to make sure everyone could get screened.
A number of factors can deter women from getting mammograms, says the Susan G. Komen organization: Lack of insurance is the biggest, but nearly a third of women who are insured don’t get screenings. The cost is a concern, as is access to care, so Sandra pushed for legislation to address these issues.
A year after Sandra’s diagnosis, Cuomo signed a law that requires designated hospitals and clinics in New York to have later hours for screening and be open on weekends. It also removed certain financial barriers, such as insurance co-pays and deductibles. “Nobody should have to decide between heating their home and getting a mammogram,” Sandra says.
What’s next?
“I want to take this legislation state by state and get it passed,” she says. “I’m starting with states I’ve lived in-New York, California, Washington, and Wisconsin.” If you want to support this cause, contact your state legislators about replicating the New York law (you can find the actual language by searching online for New York State Law 8093).
That’s what Sandra hopes she’ll inspire: “I believe the reason I got cancer is to change laws and inform people.”
This story originally ran in Prevention’s February 2019 issue. For more stories like this one, subscribe to our print magazine.
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