Marlena Murphy

Marlena Murphy, a mother of one daughter, was diagnosed with stage III triple-negative breast cancer in 2018 when her daughter was 11 years old. She maintained a positive attitude throughout treatment and found herself encouraging friends upon hearing her news. Marlena found her way to the advocacy world because of her desire to help others dealing with cancer. She began serving as a Patient Advocate in 2019 with My Style Matters while undergoing treatment. Marlena enjoys staying busy. As a result, she works as a Program Manager for GRASP - Guiding Researchers and Advocates to Scientific Partnerships; works as the Community Advocate for TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation; and serves on the ASCO Clinical Trials Access and Inclusion Task Force. Marlena is also a Komen Advocate in Science and a collective member of The Light Collective.

As a result of her diagnosis and desire to help people, Marlena went back to school to pursue a Master's degree. In 2022, her last year of graduate school, she was diagnosed with Metastatic TNBC and has been receiving treatment since that time. In May 2023, she received a Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with certificates in Marriage & Family Therapy and Sex Therapy. Currently, Marlena provides therapy services to individuals experiencing homelessness, breast cancer patients and survivors in downtown Atlanta. Marlena Murphy's narrative goes beyond overcoming personal adversity; she is committed to advocacy, education, and making a positive impact on the lives of those affected by breast cancer.

A life-long volunteer, Marlena has volunteered at her daughter's school, church and various local non-profit organizations. She can be found via social media on Twitter. Outside of her cancer life, Marlena enjoys spending time with her daughter and friends, trail-walking, and working on jig-saw puzzles.

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