Martinez, GloriaBiggs, Mary Jo GarciaLozano, Yvonne2022-05-032022-05-032013-09Martinez-Ramos, G. P., Garcia Biggs, M. J., & Lozano, Y., (2013). Quality of life of Latina breast cancer survivors: From silence to empowerment. Advances in Social Work, 14(01), pp. 82–101.https://hdl.handle.net/10877/15738Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among Latinas living in the United States. This article reports the findings of a qualitative study aimed at understanding the experiences of 25 Latinas between the ages of 28 and 83 who are long-term (at least five years post diagnosis) breast cancer survivors. The findings show three key issues and concerns: (a) fear of being stigmatized and being treated differently if they talked about their breast cancer experience; (b) overcoming the perceived negative effects that breast cancer has on their femininity; (c) the effects of breast cancer recovery and survivorship on social relationships of family and community. Family support and peer advocacy helped survivors in several areas: (a) to cope with the fear of recurrence; (b) to combat the fear of social stigma; (c) to become stronger as they dealt with the permanent life changes as a Latina breast cancer survivor; (d) to support them in the struggle for the provision of culturally sensitive health care; and (e) to provide social support in the form of advocacy for other Latina breast cancer survivors.Text20 pages1 file (.pdf)enbreast cancersurvivorshipsocial supporthealthLatinaSociologyArticlehttps://doi.org/10.18060/3551