A remarkable First Coast woman has put her body on the line to help pave a way for other women and men being treated for triple-negative breast cancer.
“There was a clinical trial study, the drug was called Tecentriq,” said Vernice Grossglass, the first patient in Jacksonville to try the drug. “I said sure, why not? I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
Grossglass was diagnosed with Stage Two triple-negative breast cancer in April 2018.
“I thought she was talking to the wrong person,” Grossglass said. “I thought, ‘I don’t want to die. I’m too young. There are so many things I want to see and do.’”
As she was fighting the disease, Grossglass also wanted to fight toward a cure for others.
Grossglass knew whether she was ready or not, it was time to make a plan for her best chance of survival, which included stepping into the unknown of this clinical trial.
Grossglass became the first patient in Jacksonville to participate in this clinical trial to treat triple-negative breast cancer with Tecentriq.
Today, thanks to doctors, Grossglass and other participants around the country who put their bodies on the line, Tecentriq has been approved by the FDA and is available to all with triple-negative breast cancer.
“I feel like a hero,” Grossglass said. “I’m brave and I’m staying positive. And to me, that’s part of fighting cancer is staying positive.”
Grossglass didn’t only help improve the odds of survival for others, but she ended up beating breast cancer herself.
“When I got the news I was cancer-free, the whole world looked new to me,” Grossglass said. “I was starting over with a new life."
Even as a survivor, Grossglass continues to fight the disease. She has decided to participate in another clinical trial meant to prevent triple-negative breast cancer from returning.
“Here I am today,” Grossglass said. “I am cancer free. I’m proud of it and life looks even brighter.”