Mataya Dade

What would you do if you woke up one Thursday morning with pain in your chest and a lump in your breast? Two years ago, this became the reality for Mataya Dade. 

As a young adult with no genetic markers, Mataya never imagined she would face a breast cancer diagnosis at such a young age, let alone such a fast-moving form. After her diagnosis, she found out that her Ki-67 score – a measure of how quickly cancer cells are dividing – was 76, three times higher than the threshold for an aggressive cancer. 

Thankfully, Mataya was pointed to the Bedford Breast Center. Without the compassionate staff at Bedford, the process of diagnosis and intervention would have been much slower – wasting time that Mataya could not afford to lose. Mataya completed a double mastectomy at Bedford, in addition to 16 rounds of chemotherapy and extensive immunotherapy at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Today, Mataya is cancer-free and has dedicated her time to creating cancer survivorship resources for young adults. Later this year, she plans to release a podcast called “You Survived! Now What?” to help young cancer survivors navigate life post-cancer treatment. To help grow this community, Mataya launched a subreddit group for the podcast, where people can chat about their experiences.

After treatment completion, Mataya had two misinterpreted scans related to new complications and cysts, so she knows firsthand the importance of early, accurate detection and treatment. Recognizing that healthcare isn’t a level playing field, Mataya is sharing her story to shine a light on gaps in the system and advocate for increased access to innovative imaging technologies.   

As part of that mission, Mataya has joined Right Scan Right Time to advocate for the Health Tech Investment Act, which would expand access to AI-enabled imaging technologies that can improve the cancer care experience. Mataya emphasizes the importance of pro-access, pro-people, and pro-accountability legislation. This bill would give all patients access to life-saving medical tools, while ensuring that AI complements rather than replaces care teams and encouraging Medicare policies that avoid sacrificing jobs or safety in the name of increased medical technology.

 Join her by sending your own letter in support of this legislation here.