Sylvia Morrison was first diagnosed with stage II invasive ductal carcinoma in November 2010 at the age of 48. She underwent chemotherapy, a lumpectomy, and radiation. When Sylvia experienced a second breast cancer diagnosis in 2019, she decided against chemotherapy and instead opted to have a bilateral mastectomy followed by reconstruction.
Sylvia originally planned to have DIEP flap reconstruction; however, after several complications that included a blood transfusion and two trips to the ICU, she had a unilateral DIEP flap and an implant. Her personal experience with breast cancer and her family history motivated her to share her story in the book Self-Exam, which she co-authored with her daughter, who is also a breast cancer survivor. Sylvia is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in social work at Shaw University. She plans to use her degree to continue to advocate for people impacted by breast cancer and to combat health disparities.
She resides in North Carolina with her husband and enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her three grandchildren.