'We can see if we're just a number. We can feel that’—MBCC’s Patti Hennessy Patient Keynote calls for compassionate care

By Lisa Marie Basile | Fact-checked by MDLinx staff

Published March 9, 2025

Key Takeaways

Conference Buzz

“I don’t expect physicians at the time of diagnosis or treatment to say, ‘You should go do pelvic floor therapy or acupuncture,’ but there does need to be humanity involved: An ‘Are you OK? Are you doing well?’” — Jamil Weaver, patient, breast cancer advocate, and Patti Hennessy Patient Keynote, Miami Breast Cancer Conference 2025
“Be open to the ongoing relationship that you will have with your patient. We can see if we are a number or not. We can feel that.” — Jamil Weaver

This article is part of our Miami Breast Cancer Conference 2025 coverage. Explore more.

Day 3 of the 42nd Miami Breast Cancer Conference (MBCC), started with two keynote speeches—delivered by Jamil Weaver, a breast cancer survivor and the Patti Hennessy Patient Keynote.

Moderator Patrick I. Borgen, MD, Chair of the Department of Surgery at Maimonides Medical Center, introduced Weaver to the stage, making good on the conference’s promise to connect healthcare professionals with real patients.

But the MBCC isn’t a stranger to patient voices. In fact, Weaver spoke at MBCC in honor of the late Patti Hennessy, who shared her experience with advanced ovarian cancer and triple negative BC at prior conferences. “We do this in honor of Patti Hennessy,” Dr. Borgen reminded the crowd.

Support is everything

Weaver is a two-time breast cancer survivor and member of the Breasties—a non-profit that provides community and support for cancer survivors, previvors, stage 4 thrivers, and caregivers.

Weaver said she had no family history of BC, but after being diagnosed underwent a gamut of treatments: three surgeries, radiation, and chemotherapy. She said she discovered the Breasties community early in her journey, and spoke on her experience at one of their survivor retreats:

“We talked about what our concerns were, how we were gonna work our way through it, and what it meant for our families,” noting that the community and support helped better prepare her for living with cancer.

“It was hard to understand that I had a team, that everyone I was going to rely on was going to be there for me throughout the whole process… I didn’t understand at first that I had to interview my doctors and understand we would be on the same team,” she said, while noting the importance of “feeling out” who is or isn't the right doctor.

She discussed one doctor who passed off her diagnosis as minor, saying, “You should be fine”—“I don’t think I’ll ever forget that experience as long as I live,” Weaver said. “I don’t know if she’s seen so much and doesn’t understand there’s a humanity involved. I was taken aback.” These days, as a volunteer with the Breasties, she helps connect patients with oncologists available in their region.

Weaver then talked about another challenge: She had surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic, so she couldn’t bring anyone to the hospital with her—an experience she describes as lonely. During this time, she was able to turn to the Breasties for much-needed support.

Properly preparing your patients for treatment

She said the community also helped her understand what to expect from chemotherapy. “Chemo is a real special place on earth,” she joked. “ If you are prepared (maybe not mentally, but physically), it helps: What the machine looks like, what the room looks like— knowing that made a difference instead of just walking into a cold room not knowing what you’re going to go through.” This is something physicians can help with, she says: Better preparing the patient for what they’re about to experience.

Weaver also recommends that physicians remember the depth of the burden of BC—to the mind, to sexuality, to physiciality—issues that could require seeking out other providers. “It’s a vulnerability situation. I don’t expect physicians at the time of diagnosis or treatment to say, ‘You should go do pelvic floor therapy or acupuncture,’ but there needs to be humanity involved: An ‘are you ok? Are you doing well? I can send you to another place.’”

Weaver noted that it’s not one physician’s responsibility to take on all aspects of standard treatments and complementary care, but it can be especially helpful in giving patients an idea for what sort of holistic care may be appropriate for them. “It’s an opportunity to present an overall picture to the patient vs just the clinical perspective,” she said.

Weaver also said she experienced racism in health spaces—an issue she didn’t feel comfortable at the time addressing directly: “Being a black female as it is, I definitely didn’t want to walk into the room and be looked upon as not intelligent, not aware of my surroundings, and, quite frankly, as not appropriate. I can’t have that happen.” But her partner seemed to make her experiences better. “I had a golden ticket, and that was my partner,” she says, “because I went into spaces where they weren’t even making eye contact with me. I couldn’t wrap my head around it at first. And it kept on happening.” Weaver says physicians need to be aware of this reality.

A final takeaway for physicians

“Be open,” Weaver said. “Be open to the ongoing relationship that you will have with your patient. We can see if we are a number or not. We can feel that.”

One particular physician stood out to her, and she explained why: “I think I could feel I was being seen. I knew she was busy. I knew there were alot of other things. In the rooms in the center, I could hear other patients. But she still took the time. And that made it so much easier to take a minute, take a step back, and realize I was being heard,” Weaver said.