Vernal has been a breast cancer advocate for over 31 years. Her advocacy began soon after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Advocacy gave her something to do, that took the focus off her own treatment. She said she wanted to “do something bigger than the cancer itself.”
She got involved in advocacy 8 weeks out of her surgery, still with her port in. She realized she was very lucky to have caught her cancer early, had good health insurance and good care. Not everyone had that, so she wanted to put her focus into helping others.
She began helping women access free mammograms and then helped connect them to care if they needed follow-up. She also educated students at local high schools. They would share what they learned with their parents and help their mothers get connected to care.
She was an advocate within her own family. The cousins got together and made a family tree of health histories. This led to open and honest conversations during the holidays, something her family had not done before.
Vernal’s advocacy covers everything from community outreach to legislative advocacy. She also has experience working in a nonprofit advocacy organization and now focusing her interest on clinical trials and research. She is a patient advocate for the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, where she is helping researchers ensure they are asking the right questions while designing clinical trials. Vernal wants every clinical trial to focus on ways to make people live better and live longer.
Vernal describes her greatest strength as empathy for people who are going through cancer. She had great care from her husband and three sons while she went through treatment and wanted to do the same for others. She has been a caregiver many times to family, friends, and even people she did not know.
Vernal has had many unique opportunities over her years in advocacy. She had the opportunity to visit the White House several times, under both the Clinton and the Obama presidential administrations. She has also been supported by her family, her husband and three sons, who use their education and involvement in the NFL to help others.
Vernal is a good role model for sharing information and knowledge and it looks like she will be continuing advocacy for a long time, “I know most people are retired at my age, but I realize that God was not done with me yet, and I need to mentor other advocates, because this work is so important for patients’ well being and quality of life.”