Meet Jilda
Jilda Nettleton is a two-time breast cancer survivor, an advocate reviewer, a wife and a mother of two girls. Her breast cancer journey started 13 years ago when trying to start a family. Her and her husband’s plans were derailed when a baseline mammogram at age 37 turned into a diagnosis of stage 0 breast cancer. After treatment, she had two lovely daughters and thoughts of cancer were pushed away.
Then in 2008, with a 2-year-old toddler and 6-months old infant, another mammogram returned a second diagnosis of stage 0 breast cancer. Overwhelmed and scared by a second cancer diagnosis, she found support and help with Young Survival Coalition. Through listening to other women’s stories and reflecting on her own, she realized how little is known about how breast cancer affects younger women both personally and medically. With her experience in medical research including a Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics, she decided to use her science background to become an advocate reviewer. Since 2011, she has reviewed grants for both the Department of Defense’s Breast Cancer Research Program and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).
Additionally, she has volunteered for many Young Survival Coalition events and completed the 3-day Tour de Pink in October 2015. Wanting to expand on her role as a breast cancer advocate, she volunteered to be a YSC State Leader for Northern California.
