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When employees at Gilead’s recently opened New Jersey office need a place to meet, the “Cara” conference room is one such place they gather. Given the room’s namesake, it’s especially fitting when the topic at hand is the company’s oncology work.
A Pennsylvania mother of two young children, Cara was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in 2018. She learned the following year that it had metastasized to her brain. But Cara says she isn’t just surviving with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer – she’s thriving and using her diagnosis as a way to help others.
After developing a passion for patient advocacy, Cara became president of 412Thrive, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that provides care packages for breast cancer patients as they navigate challenges like chemotherapy and radiation.
“The best thing from this whole diagnosis is that I’m able to volunteer my time to help others,” says Cara.
The room in the Parsippany, New Jersey office was named after Cara to honor her perseverance and commitment to helping others. Each conference room on the two floors was named after a patient or advocate – serving as a visual reminder for Gilead employees of the communities they serve.
“It’s such an honor because I feel like I’ve done some great advocacy work,” says Cara. “It makes this journey so much more to know that I’m making a difference.”
Watch the video above to see Cara’s full story.
