I am a former NYC/NYS public servant, who retired last May after 30 years of public service. I am a first-born American of Panamanian parentage, and I pride myself on the fact that my great-grandad Robert Issac Kirton helped construct the Panama Canal.
After my cancer diagnosis, I decided it was time to give back to the Breast Cancer community at large. I accepted the challenge and I have joined local support groups so that l may render support to others who have breast cancer. I also have Lymphedema in the lower leg extremities. In the 90s, l would host a support group in my home, I was a vocal advocate at New York City Council sessions in 1999 about how Lymphedema is often misdiagnosed. I also worked with the NYC Health Department several years ago as a Mental health First Aid Trainer. Day to day, I continue to thrive on and weather the storms of life I have learned to turn lemons into lemonade.