By all accounts, Yolanda E. Moore-Williams, RN, BA, MBA & MHA was living a charmed life. She had a loving husband (of 18 years), two beautiful teenage daughters, was well-educated in journalism, nursing, hospital administration and business, and highly successful in her career as COO of a hospital in the medical center. However, everything changed one faithful evening in June 2010 the moment she felt a lump in her breast. Given Yolanda’s medical training, she knew that something was wrong.

Yolanda and her husband immediately went to the doctor to have it checked out. Her primary care doctor misdiagnosed her initially but Yolanda persisted because she knew her body and knew something was wrong. She kept fighting & pushing her primary doctor to run more tests. Finally, after a couple of weeks and multiple tests, she received the results of an MRI Mammography (the best test for young women with ample breast). Yolanda was told that the lump was Cancerous.

Yolanda was diagnosed with Triple Negative Ductal Carcinoma In Situ Breast Cancer. This particular form of breast cancer is very aggressive and disproportionately victimizes African-American, Hispanic, and younger women. Yolanda’s particular strain of Triple Negative D.C.I.S. Breast Cancer occurs in less than 2% of the entire population of women who have Breast Cancer. Women who are diagnosed with this strain of Triple Negative D.C.I.S. Breast Cancer have historically experienced a low mortality rate. Within a year (June 17, 2011) of her diagnosis, Yolanda succumbed to the disease.  Leaving behind two girls (16 and 13 years old) and her spouse.

In August of 2011 her husband founded the Yolanda E. Williams Foundation in her memory and honor. Since Yolanda’s passing the foundation has held an annual Breast Cancer Walk for Hope. The foundation has raised funds towards finding a cure for this particular aggressive strain of Triple Negative D.C.I.S. Breast Cancer. The foundation has supported the research being performed by the Baylor College of Medicine Lester & Sue Smith Breast Cancer Center.