Mom Focuses on Style While Facing Breast Cancer
Evangeline dresses up for every appointment.
The word cancer is never glamorous. It’s heavy, frightening and never something you want to hear. But Evangeline Lloyd managed to bring light, style and even a little glamour to her journey.
In November 2016, Lloyd left her annual mammogram with a clean bill of health. Just eight months later during a self-exam, she discovered a lump that hadn’t been there before. After multiple opinions and conflicting diagnoses, she arrived at Moffitt Cancer Center, where she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer at age 57.
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive form of the disease that lacks three specific receptors: estrogen, progesterone and HER2, making targeted treatments like hormone therapy ineffective. Together with her care team led by Catherine Lee, MD, Lloyd began a carefully tailored treatment plan that gave her the best chance at recovery.
Fighting With Style
Lloyd had every reason to fight. She had been married for 38 years, with two children and a grandchild. Aside from her family, she had another nonnegotiable: her style.
“I dressed up every day because it made me feel better,” Lloyd said. “The nurses and staff would be waiting to see what I was wearing that day.”
Whether it was heels, a scarf or a perfectly chosen T-shirt, she refused to give up her love of fashion for treatment.
“My husband reminded me that I didn’t need to give up the things I love just because I have cancer. So I dressed up, I went shopping, and I surrounded myself with people and activities I love every step of the way.”
A Portrait of Hope
Now eight years cancer free, Lloyd is featured in the Portraits of Hope — a photography exhibit at Moffitt’s Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation Outpatient Center celebrating the many faces of breast cancer. Lee is proud to nominate her.
Lloyd made it her mission never to let cancer dull her spirit or her style. Each day, she dresses not for the challenges ahead, but for the life she wants to keep living — and she continues to inspire others to do the same.
If you’d like to see all 18 breast cancer survivors featured in the 5th annual Portraits of Hope Exhibit, visit Moffitt’s McKinley Outpatient Center from Oct. 13 through Nov. 2.
