*** Disclaimer: Some images used are for illustrative purposes only and do not depict Terell and Tiana. ***
It wasn’t the kind of news any couple would expect or want to receive six months into a new marriage. At 27, a young man from St. Louis, Missouri, named Terell had never considered that he and his partner would need to navigate a life-changing health crisis like breast cancer. But during what should have been one of the happiest periods of their lives, Terell found himself standing next to Tiana, his partner of five years turned new wife, as she faced the realities of her diagnosis.
One day, Terell told Tiana that he felt a “marble” in one of her breasts. But four months passed before she and her doctors confirmed the mass to be breast cancer. Not only were Tiana and Terell adapting to married life, but they were fairly new parents, with a then 2-year-old son completing their young family.
Tiana lost her mother to a car accident when she was 17. So when cancer entered the picture years later, she didn’t have a traditional support system in place. With previous experience as a caregiver for his grandparents, Terell stepped into that role for her.
Later, when Tiana entered remission, she and Terell made the decision to separate. But when her breast cancer later returned as a metastatic cancer that spread to other parts of the body, Terell stepped back into a supportive role—as a coparent and advocate—while they worked together to raise their now-tween son.
With experience under their belt, Terell and Tiana are sharing their story with others navigating metastatic breast cancer. We asked Terell to share what he’s learned about caregiving through both chapters of Tiana’s diagnosis, and how his support shifted as she began treatments after her breast cancer spread to other parts of her body. Here’s what he wants others to know about his journey.
When You Notice Something, Say Something
One of Terell’s most important roles as a caregiver was supporting Tiana not just physically, but emotionally as well. Her health was and is a priority, and he worked with her to ensure she never suffered in silence.
“If nobody knows your body, you should know your body,” Terell recalls telling his then wife, as he urged her not to ignore her instincts. Tiana has since credited that persistence with catching her cancer early enough to treat it. Terell’s advice to other caregivers: if something feels off, don’t let anyone—including a doctor—talk you or your loved one out of getting it checked.
Build Your Own Support System—And Be Specific About What You Need
Another lesson Terell learned early on is that caregivers need people to show up for them too, and they shouldn’t wait for others to guess what that looks like. Well-meaning friends and family often called to check in on Tiana, but their support rarely translated to him as a caregiver. Between juggling Tiana’s needs and those of his son, small things like figuring out dinner or just having an hour to himself can become daunting tasks. “Sometimes [a caregiver] just wants you to drop off a pot of spaghetti and go,” Terell says. “Don’t ask questions because I don’t want to talk; just feed me.”
Over time Terell learned to be upfront about what actually helped him keep going. Knowing what to ask for—and asking for that instead of vague, well-meaning check-ins—can go a long way for the person doing the caregiving, not just the person receiving care.
Self-Care Isn’t Selfish—It’s Part of The Job
Terell is candid about a part of caregiving that doesn’t get talked about enough: how easy it is to disappear into someone else’s illness and lose track of one’s own needs.
“Caregivers have to realize three things,” he says. “That you are still human, you have feelings, and your life matters.” He’s honest about the emotional weight of the role: “It’s okay to feel down, but don’t stay down. It’s okay to ask for help, and it’s okay to step away and be who you are.” He also learned the practical stakes of neglecting himself: “You have to remember that when the caregiver goes down, or they’re no longer able to hold things together, now you have two people who need care instead of one.”
For Terell, staying functional wasn’t optional—it meant showing up for his son every day (school runs and all), even on the hardest days. His advice for anyone stepping into a caregiving role is to understand that the ups and downs are normal, and taking care of yourself isn’t optional—it’s part of taking care of the person you love.
Expect Your Role to Shift As the Illness Does
Terell and Tiana’s caregiving dynamic has changed shape more than once. When Tiana’s health stabilized, the two decided Terell would step back into a less hands-on role. When her diagnosis returned as metastatic breast cancer, they had to adjust. Terell filled the role of both a co-parent and support system rather than a full-time caregiver.
“Whatever ways [Tiana] needs the support, she calls and asks, and we just do it,” he says. “I think we’ve just been doing it for a really long time. It gets to a point where you just know what to do.” These days, that support looks like coaching as much as anything else.
Terell’s also made a point of involving their son in Tiana’s care in age-appropriate ways. He credits their co-parenting rhythm with making room for the harder days—and for finding steadiness together, no matter what each day brings. Now, as TRODELVY® (sacituzumab govitecan-hziy) ambassadors, Terell and Tiana are sharing their story of navigating metastatic breast cancer together.
WHAT IS TRODELVY?
TRODELVY® (sacituzumab govitecan-hziy) is a prescription medicine used in adults to treat:
- Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) that cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable) and has spread to nearby tissues (locally advanced) or other parts of the body (metastatic).
- As the first treatment:
- alone when you are not a candidate for PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitor-based therapy.
- with the medicine pembrolizumab or pembrolizumab and berahyaluronidase alfa-pmph, when the tumors test positive for PD-L1.
- As the first treatment:
- Hormone Receptor (HR) positive, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2) negative breast cancer that cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable) and has spread to nearby tissues (locally advanced) or other parts of the body (metastatic), and you received hormonal-based therapy and at least 2 more therapies throughout the body (systemic) for metastatic breast cancer.
It is not known if TRODELVY is safe and effective in children.
PD-1=programmed cell death protein 1, PD-L1=programmed death ligand 1
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
TRODELVY can cause serious side effects, including low white blood cell count and diarrhea:
- Low white blood cell count (neutropenia) can be severe and lead to infections that can be life-threatening or cause death as early as the first cycle of treatment. Your healthcare provider should check your blood cell counts during treatment and may give a medicine to help prevent neutropenia starting in the first cycle of treatment if you have an increased risk for developing low white blood cell count with a fever (febrile neutropenia). Tell your healthcare provider right away if you develop any of the following signs of infection: fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, or burning or pain when you urinate.
- Severe diarrhea can lead to loss of too much body fluid (dehydration) and kidney problems. Your healthcare provider should monitor you for diarrhea and give you medicine as needed to help control it. If you lose too much body fluid, your healthcare provider may need to give you fluids and electrolytes to replace body salts. If you develop diarrhea during your treatment with TRODELVY, your healthcare provider should check to see if it may be caused by an infection.
- Tell your healthcare provider right away the first time that you get diarrhea during treatment with TRODELVY; if you develop black or bloody stools; if you develop symptoms of dehydration, such as lightheadedness, dizziness, or faintness; if you cannot take fluids by mouth due to nausea or vomiting; or if you cannot get your diarrhea under control within 24 hours.
If you develop serious side effects, your healthcare provider may treat you with certain medicines, delay treatment, lower your dose, or permanently stop treatment with TRODELVY.
Do not receive TRODELVY if you have had a severe allergic reaction to TRODELVY. Ask your healthcare provider if you are not sure.
Allergic and infusion-related reactions can be serious or life-threatening. These reactions are more common within 24 hours of receiving TRODELVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms during or at any time after your TRODELVY infusion: swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat; hives; skin rash, itching, or flushing of your skin; fever; difficulty breathing or wheezing; lightheadedness, dizziness, feeling faint, or passing out; chills or shaking chills (rigors); chest pain.
Nausea and vomiting can be severe. Before each dose of TRODELVY, you will receive medicines to help prevent nausea and vomiting along with medicines to take home with instructions about how to take them. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you develop nausea or vomiting that is not controlled with the medicines prescribed for you.
Before receiving TRODELVY, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:
- have been told that you carry a gene for UGT1A1*28, which can increase your risk of getting side effects with TRODELVY, especially low white blood cell counts, with or without a fever, and low red blood cell counts.
- have liver problems. It is not known if TRODELVY is safe in people with moderate or severe liver problems.
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. TRODELVY can harm your unborn baby. Your healthcare provider should check to see if you are pregnant before you start receiving TRODELVY. TRODELVY may cause fertility problems in females, which could affect your ability to have a baby. Talk to your healthcare provider if fertility is a concern for you.
- Females who can become pregnant should use effective birth control during treatment and for 6 months after your last dose of TRODELVY. Talk to your healthcare provider about birth control choices that may be right for you during this time. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant during treatment with TRODELVY.
- Males with a female partner who can become pregnant should use effective birth control during treatment and for 3 months after your last dose of TRODELVY.
- are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if TRODELVY passes into your breast milk and can harm your baby. Do not breastfeed during treatment and for 1 month after your last dose of TRODELVY.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Certain medicines may affect the way TRODELVY works and may increase your risk of side effects.
The most common side effects of TRODELVY when used alone include decreased white blood cell and red blood cell counts, nausea, diarrhea, feeling tired or weak, hair loss, increased sugar levels (glucose) in the blood, constipation, vomiting, decreased protein levels (albumin) in the blood, increased alkaline phosphatase in the blood, decreased appetite, stomach pain, decreased creatinine clearance, and decreased magnesium and potassium levels in the blood.
The most common side effects of TRODELVY when used with pembrolizumab include decreased white blood cell and red blood cell counts, diarrhea, nausea, feeling tired or weak, hair loss, increased alkaline phosphatase, sugar (glucose), and liver enzyme levels in the blood, constipation, rash, decreased potassium levels in the blood, increased lactate dehydrogenase levels in the blood, vomiting, stomach pain, headache, increased eosinophil levels in the blood, and decreased protein levels (albumin) in the blood.
These are not all of the possible side effects of TRODELVY. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see Important Facts about TRODELVY, including Important Warning.
The information in this article does not provide medical advice and does not substitute for clinical decision making. It is intended for informational and educational purposes only.
TRODELVY, the TRODELVY logo, GILEAD and the GILEAD logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
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