Karen Malcolm is a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and a two-year breast cancer survivor. After a routine mammogram close to her birthday in 2022 showed gray spots, Karen needed to have a biopsy procedure and had to drive hours away to the nearest facility. She was diagnosed with a ductal cancer insitu and received the results on a phone app with no personalized call surrounding the results. After a lumpectomy and radiation, her mammogram was clear.
Karen was invited to attend the ACS CAN Affinity Group meeting in February of 2024 to discuss the implementation of an Affinity group for Indigenous people. Since then, she has been proactive with her own tribe in asking for help from federal lawmakers around cancer research funding, multi-cancer early detection (MCED) and early cancer screenings. A majority of tribal communities are in rural areas, with some being hours away from clinics.
Karen's goal within the affinity group is to continue encouraging the Tribal nations to improve inequities for cancer care, encourage cancer screenings, and encourage palliative care to help support cancer patients and loved ones who are usually the care giver
Karen is a grandmother two grandsons who are 14 and 12 years old. Her other companions are two dogs, a cat, and three cockatiels. When not helping a Special Olympics team, she enjoys Stephen King novels, Godzilla movies, and penguins.