Kristopher and Adiba Barney with Alex

July 1. For Cornelius resident Adiba Barney, stage 4 metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is deeply personal.

She was diagnosed with MBC in early 2015, at the age of 37, 10 years after her initial stage 1 diagnosis. She has made it her mission in life to raise funds for MBC research, and with that show her “precious son Alex that his mama did everything she could to not leave him.”

Adiba will chair the inaugural Lake Norman Metsquerade Gala to be held at The Peninsula Club on Sept. 23, benefiting MBC research.

The black tie gala will be emceed by retired WBTV news anchor Paul Cameron.

MBC is the incurable and terminal stage of breast cancer, when cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body such as the brain, lungs, liver or bones.

Beating the odds

“You see breast cancer is not deadly as long as it stays in the breast. Despite that, you rarely hear about this deadly stage during October’s pink campaigns. For us that are living with MBC, it is known as ‘the invisible elephant in the pink room,’” Adiba says.

About 115 women per day are expected to die from MBC in 2022, in the US alone. MBC is the second-leading cause of cancer death in women. Only lung cancer kills more women each year.

“Thanks to research, new treatments have been keeping me alive longer than the 2-3 years I was prognosed to live. I’m one of the lucky ones, as only about a third of us live longer than five years. I’m now on my sixth line of treatment. Four of them were brand new to the market at the time of my diagnosis,” she said.

Treatment has wreaked havoc on her body over the years.

“Research is truly the only way to save lives,” she said.

Background

MBC can occur 15-plus years after a person’s original diagnosis and successful treatment. Approximately 30 percent of people initially diagnosed with an early stage cancer will go on to be diagnosed with MBC. Yet only 5- 7 percent of funds donated to breast cancer organizations go toward MBC research.

Paul Cameron

The goal

Impact and create change in MBC research.

In dollars

$250,000 toward a research grant named after the gala.

How you can support

Corporate partnerships and table sponsorships are available. Companies may donate silent auction items, as well. More info at lakenormanmets.org.