In 2016, during a routine medical examination, Mati received news that changed her life. The tests identified seven small spots on her brain. It was an accurate diagnosis of level four metastatic cancer.
“Matilde, you won’t last even 6 months,” her doctor told her. “That shocked me a lot and I thought: ‘Matilde, run for your life.’ I stopped. I didn’t say goodbye and left. At that moment I realized that I was in danger,” Mati recalls with tears in her eyes.
Mati had a long conversation with her oncologist and made the decision to enter a clinical study for cancer patients, not only to try to save her life, but primarily to help the advancement of medical science.
“That was where hope began. I thought this could help other people more than anything,” she recalls.
Months later her doctor gave her the good news. Her cancer was in remission. They were the words Mati had been waiting for. Her first decision was to go to a car dealership where she bought a red sports car. Her new car not only symbolized her independence, but the beginning of a journey to the future.
Although Latinos represent almost 20% of the population in the United States, only 10% participate in clinical studies of the National Cancer Institute and 4% in studies of the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
According to a Pew Center survey, 58% of the Latino population considers clinical trials important, the lowest percentage of any ethnic group. Although the studies are voluntary and supervised by experts, many Latinos have concerns about possible mistreatment in medical research.
This lack of participation has an adverse effect on the advancement of scientific knowledge, since it makes it difficult to evaluate how safe and effective new medical treatments are for the members of our community, many of whom suffer from chronic conditions or high incidence rates in certain diseases.
I met Mati as part of my work on a public health campaign about the importance of clinical trials. She decided to share her story to give hope to other people, because she is a living example of someone who not only personally benefited but helped advance medical knowledge.
“I have had 7 years sharing with my family and having a life, enjoying my car, my apartment, enjoying life. I didn’t think I would live 6 months. The clinical study saved my life and could save other people’s,” she tells me.
Her message to our community is clear and simple: “Be brave, enroll in a clinical study. That can prolong their life or save their life…. My story is a story of triumph, a story of hope. I tell them: fight, fight for your life.”
