Mary Lou Smith; Breast Cancer Network of Strength; Consumer Reviewer:

I was diagnosed with breast cancer 22 years ago and after my treatment I said to my doctor, "what can I do for other women?" And, he said, "tell them all to get a mammogram and join Y-Me." So, I joined Y-Me National Breast Cancer Organization and when DoD began, we fought for a place at the table. That was one of the most unique things about the DoD program was that an advocate would be at the table whenever decisions were being made. That was monumentally different. Now, it's not unusual. It's quite common to have an advocate at the table. And, that's where we saw a place was to make sure that those advocates were effective; that they added value when they were sitting at the table.

Sometimes when you evaluate a program, you look at what were the objectives of the program and did we meet those objectives. But, sometimes it's actually in the relationships that are developed by being at those tables; that that has great value and to acknowledge that. And I think that's what happens. When we're peer reviewers, then we develop relationships with other advocates as well with the scientists.

We're getting close to actually finding the targets, and finding the biomarkers, and finding, I know we don't say "a cure," but we are finding the ways to match a woman, her genomic profile, to treatments so that we are going to have personalized medicine. It's not going to be what I had which was one size fits all and you take the toxicity and you don't know whether you're getting the benefit.

We've been accepted, and we've been accepted as partners which I find very fulfilling, to be considered, not as a scientist, but as an equal partner in helping patients and helping the science find ways to help those patients.