PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Kirsten Stanley is battling breast cancer. She was first diagnosed nine years ago.
She had surgery, then a year later her blood test showed something was wrong.
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"They found out at the time that it had spread to my liver and my lymph nodes. Subsequently, it's also spread to my lungs and then two years after that in 2015 it spread to my brain."
Stanley has chemo every three weeks for her metastatic cancer. She says this will be for the rest of her life. She's able to get the treatment her oncologist feels is best for her. However, that's not the case for other cancer patients.
Breast cancer awareness advocates are in Tallahassee now talking to legislatures about a bill that would end Step Therapy known as fail first.
Deborah Hausman with Susan G. Komen in Orlando said, "We are here for a goal and I think that so far we are having a really nice response."
Advocates say a cheaper treatment might be given to a breast cancer patient that wasn't originally prescribed by their doctor. In turn that generic treatment could end up failing the patient and taking away vital time from treating cancer.
"There's no race or gender to breast cancer, we just need it to stop. I'm tired of losing friends and family."
Advocates hoping Legislatures will pass the bill this session.
Stanley said, "My reason for talking about my life and my story is to raise awareness and allow other people to be given those options to go to the targeted therapy that is right for them."