By Amanda Kowaleski

Regina H. Boone knows a thing or two about perspective. As a photojournalist for the Richmond Free Press, she carefully frames every shot to capture stories as they unfold. But it is her personal experiences that shape her service on the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center Advisory Board.

Boone is a two-time cancer survivor. Both times she was treated at Massey – once as a child when the center opened in 1974, and again from 2023 to 2024.

“When I found out Massey was celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024, I thought, ‘Who wants to be the poster child of something like this?’ But it gives you perspective,” Boone said. “I am so grateful for the medical teams that I had.”

Boone was 4 years old when she came down with a severe stomachache. Her pediatrician believed it was appendicitis. She was rushed to a community hospital for an appendectomy, where the medical team instead discovered a mass on her ovary. Following her surgery, she was transferred to the newly opened cancer center now known as Massey.

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Four-year-old Boone with her father, Raymond H. Boone (Photo contributed by the Boone family).

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For the next few months, Boone underwent chemotherapy and radiation. The young Boone family spent countless hours at the center – Regina’s physicians even noting in her records how attentive and loving her parents were.

“I remember every time I had chemo, we would go to the toy store and I could pick out any toy,” Boone recalled.

After her treatment ended, Boone continued follow-up appointments through age 11.

“Growing up, I knew I had had health issues but I didn't really dwell on them. Then I realized: ‘Oh, I got a second chance!’”

‘I got through this once, I can do it again’

The Boone family found themselves at Massey again in 2013 when Regina’s father, Raymond H. Boone – founder of the Richmond Free Press, the same newspaper where she works today – was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He passed away in 2014.

“When my father was diagnosed, I thought ‘I’ll never get cancer again,’” Boone said. “I thought I had checked that off.”

In June 2023, Boone was preparing for a new home and September wedding to her fiancé, Eric Clay, when she had a routine mammogram. Afterward, she was contacted to schedule a follow-up at the VCU Health Adult Outpatient Pavilion. Her mind began to race.

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Boone (center left) and husband Eric Clay (center right) following their wedding ceremony Sept. 16, 2023. Pictured with Jean Patterson Boone (left), mother of the bride, and Raymond H. Boone Jr. (right), brother of the bride (Photo by Samia Minnicks Photography).

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Boone had another mammogram, ultrasound, and biopsy during that visit. She and Clay spent the weekend hiking to keep their minds off of the pending test results. Monday morning, she got the call – she had breast cancer.

“I thought to myself, ‘How is this happening?’” she recalled.

She had a lumpectomy in July 2023 but asked her medical team if she could delay further treatment until after her wedding. The Friday following the big day, she started chemotherapy. Radiation began Jan. 3, 2024 – her birthday. Finally, a July 2024 mammogram brought Boone the news she had been hoping for since her treatment ended.

“I went out into the waiting room, put two hands in the air and told my husband ‘I am cancer-free!’” She continued, “It was like a big, huge yoga breath. A big exhale. I’m ready to take on the world again.”

‘If I’m at the table, I can speak from experience’

It is not lost on Boone that Massey’s 50th anniversary coincides with the anniversary of the start of her own cancer journey. In addition to reflecting on the last 50 years, she is looking toward the future – both hers and Massey’s.

“Massey has saved my life twice,” Boone said. “I am so grateful for the entire team – from the people who empty the trash cans, who I highly respect; to my dream team of oncologists, including Dr. Harry Bear, Dr. Hetal Vachhani, Dr. Todd Adams, and nurse practitioner Sara Baffuto; to the chemotherapy nurses and radiation techs; to my social worker, Freda Wilkins; to the caring volunteers; and to Massey director Dr. Robert Winn.”

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Boone rings a bell to celebrate her completion of chemotherapy on Dec. 14, 2023 (Photo by Eric Clay).

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In July 2024, Boone joined the Massey Advisory Board, which works to further the center’s mission through educating the public, leading fundraising efforts and serving as advocates in the community and beyond. It’s a role Boone does not take lightly.

“Maybe I was supposed to get breast cancer and be more of a champion,” Boone said. “I want a seat at the table because there’s not that many people that look like me.”

Boone’s focus as a board member will be to spread awareness about early detection and advocate for health equity, two things especially meaningful to a Black breast cancer survivor like herself. According to the American Association of Cancer Research's 2024 Cancer Disparities Progress Report, Black women have a 40% higher likelihood of dying from breast cancer than white women – something Massey researchers are investigating.

“I’m excited, and I know my purpose,” Boone said. “I had such a good experience. Now I’m at a different stage with cancer where I’m supposed to be helping other people get through it.”