For Janice Ferebee, cancer is more than a diagnosis. It is a family story that spans generations, shapes conversations, and fuels a lifelong commitment to helping others live healthier, more informed lives. As Vice Chair of the GW Cancer Prevention and Wellness Center’s Community Action Council and a two-time survivor of Stage IIB fallopian tube cancer, Ferebee understands both the challenges and the possibilities that come with a cancer journey.
Her experience also reflects a reality familiar to many Black families: cancer often affects not just one person, but entire families and communities.
When Cancer Becomes a Family Conversation
Long before her own diagnosis, Ferebee witnessed cancer's impact within her family. Her father was diagnosed with prostate cancer and benefited from early detection and treatment. Later, she experienced the loss of her three sisters—Denise, Annette, and Vallie—to lung cancer. Then cancer became personal when she was diagnosed with fallopian tube cancer, one of the rarest gynecologic cancers.
These experiences reinforced the importance of understanding family health history and paying close attention to changes in our bodies. Today, Ferebee encourages relatives, friends, and community members to become active participants in their own health care.
“Getting to know your body is one of the most powerful things you can do,” she says. “When something changes, pay attention. Ask questions. Speak up.”
Her message is especially relevant for Black families, who often navigate cancer together across generations. Conversations about health history, risk factors, screenings, and symptoms can help families make informed decisions and seek care when needed.
What Survivorship Really Means
For Ferebee, survivorship is not simply about completing treatment.
“Being a survivor is about how you choose to live afterward,” she explains. “I've chosen to live my life out loud.”
Survivorship has become an opportunity to be intentional—about her health, her purpose, and the ways she serves others. It means appreciating each day while recognizing that cancer can leave lasting physical, emotional, and spiritual impacts. It means moving forward with awareness rather than fear.
Her experience has strengthened her belief that survivors play an important role in their communities. By sharing their stories, they help normalize conversations about cancer, encourage screening and prevention, and remind others that they are not alone.
Changing the Conversation in Black Communities
Ferebee believes that one of the most important steps toward reducing the burden of cancer in Black communities is changing how families talk about it. Too often, health histories go undiscussed, symptoms are minimized, or difficult conversations are avoided altogether.
Awareness begins at home.
It starts with family members talking around the kitchen table. It starts when relatives share their medical histories with one another. It grows when community members encourage each other to get recommended screenings, seek medical advice, and advocate for themselves in healthcare settings.
These conversations are not about creating fear. They are about creating knowledge, understanding, and empowerment.
“When we share information, we give each other tools,” Ferebee says through her advocacy. “Knowledge helps families make decisions that can protect their health and well-being.”
Turning Experience into Purpose
Throughout her career, Ferebee has dedicated herself to empowering Black women, girls, and families. Her cancer experience deepened that commitment. Survivorship strengthened her resolve to help others find their voices, advocate for themselves, and access the information they need to make informed choices about their health.
Today, she sees her journey as part of a larger mission: helping shift the narrative around cancer in Black communities from silence to conversation, from uncertainty to awareness, and from isolation to support.
She also continues to honor her sisters through her legacy passion project, the “1 Million GOT IT GOIN’ ON® Handbooks for 1 Million Girls – Ferebee Sisters Tribute Campaign,” created to inspire and empower future generations of girls.
A Message for Black Family Cancer Awareness
As Black Family Cancer Awareness efforts continue to encourage education and dialogue, Ferebee hopes her story serves as a reminder that every family has the power to take action.
- Know your family history.
- Listen to your body.
- Get screened when recommended.
- Ask questions.
- Seek support.
- Share information with loved ones.
Most importantly, remember that awareness is not simply about understanding cancer—it is about caring for ourselves and one another.
For Janice Ferebee, that is what survivorship looks like: living fully, living purposefully, and using every opportunity to help others do the same.
