No Result
View All Result
Tampa Magazine
  • Local Knowledge
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Garden
  • Travel
  • Moving Tampa
  • Sporting
  • Health
  • Tampa Culture
  • ADVERTISE
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • ABOUT
  • PURCHASE A COPY
  • DIGITAL ISSUES
  • EMAIL NEWSLETTERS
  • CONTACT US
  • SHOP
  • MY ACCOUNT
    • Your Membership
    • Profile
    • Update Billing Card
    • Login / Logout
Tampa Magazine
No Result
View All Result
Tampa Magazine
No Result
View All Result
Rachel Slowey

Giving Back While Fighting Cancer

At only 37, South Tampa’s Rachel Slowey is working to support cancer patients — like herself

McKenna Kelley by McKenna Kelley
December 18, 2019
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Rachel Slowey is one of those people who doesn’t get sick very often. At 37, she’s into Pilates, takes turmeric every day to reduce inflammation, and considers herself to be a very healthy person.

“Minus the fact that I have cancer now,” she says with a wry smile.

This summer, the South Tampa resident found an egg-sized mass in her right breast and was diagnosed with stage III HER2-positive breast cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes, the most aggressive but also most treatable form of the disease. It took Slowey by surprise both because of her age and because she tested negative for breast cancer-related genes.

“It’s so surreal. I never thought this would happen to me,” she says.

Now, she wants to shed light on her experience to help others. First, she learned that you are your own best advocate for your health care. Because women under 40 need a prescription to get a mammogram, Slowey had to call dozens of doctors’ offices before finding one that could get her in quickly for an evaluation.

Then, once she was diagnosed and went in to begin chemotherapy at Moffitt Cancer Center, she wasn’t happy with her first oncologist. She spoke up and was directed to Moffitt’s patient advocates. Slowey was quickly assigned a new oncologist, who is able to tweak her chemotherapy cocktail to address the specific side effects she experiences.

Just before she began treatment, Slowey chose to freeze her eggs. It’s an expensive process, but she was able to have about half of her costs covered by two programs designed to fund fertility procedures for cancer patients. Cost shouldn’t prevent people from experiencing such an important chapter of life, Slowey says. “If [patients] knew that there were programs put together ahead of time, maybe more people would be able to get this done.”

One of Slowey’s greatest discoveries was the DigniCap. Worn during treatment, the cooling cap freezes the scalp, reducing blood flow to the hair follicle so less chemotherapy reaches the area, and hair loss is minimized. The cap only works with certain types of chemotherapy, so Slowey says she’s lucky. “I have my hair. It helps me keep a sense of normalcy when I look in the mirror and around others,” she says. “Mentally, it does a lot for me.”

On top of the intense physical side effects of treatment, much of Slowey’s journey has been a mental one. She wraps up her six rounds of chemotherapy on December 17, and is looking forward to being done in time to enjoy the holidays (and hopefully a playoff run for her Buffalo Bills). “I can’t control what’s going on with my body,” she says. “But I can control the [attitude] that I bring forward. So with that, I can conquer anything.”

To that end, Slowey and some of her close friends are in the early stages of establishing a charitable organization called The Giving Girls. They’re planning their first fundraiser to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month next October, and while they will eventually focus on a variety of causes, Slowey says they will always earmark 5% of their proceeds for Moffitt. While she still has a ways to go on her road to recovery from cancer, Slowey is determined to start making a difference now.

“What am I going to do with this crappy card I was dealt? I am going to go through it like a champ,” she says. “Let’s create positivity, do good, give back to our community, and make sure that we’re educating people.”

Tags: philanthropyrachel slowey
Next Post
South Tampa’s 2020 Top 10 Under 40: Haleigh Almquist

South Tampa's 2020 Top 10 Under 40: Haleigh Almquist

INSTAGRAM

⭐️GIVEAWAY⭐️Enter to win free tickets! Sad ⭐️GIVEAWAY⭐️Enter to win free tickets! Saddle up cowboys + cowgirls 🤠 Get out your chaps for the hydehousepublicstudio's annual summer event in the heart of Tampa. This is a call from the ranches out west to giddy on up at Wild Wild West on July 16th 🐴
Enter for a chance to win 2 tickets! Here are the rules: follow hydehousepublicstudio & tampamagazine, tag a friend, and share this post on your story! That’s all folks. Winner will be announced July 5.
🍷 It’s wine o’ clock somewhere. Check out t 🍷 It’s wine o’ clock somewhere. Check out these 6 amazing places to meet for a glass of vino at the link in bio.
Exercising on the Riverwalk > Exercising on the Riverwalk >
Tampa is stocked with unique thrift stores to brin Tampa is stocked with unique thrift stores to bring new life into your homes and closets for less. Check out our list of 11 thrift shops to explore at the link in bio.
Thank you tblightning for a spectacular season! Thank you tblightning for a spectacular season!
It’s Pride Weekend 🌈 It’s Pride Weekend 🌈
A new waterfront luxury tower is coming to marinap A new waterfront luxury tower is coming to marinapointetampa 🏙 tell us in the comments how you feel about Tampa’s growth/development.
Who makes the best burgers in Tampa Bay? Over 11,0 Who makes the best burgers in Tampa Bay? Over 11,000 of you voted. See the 2022 winners at the link in bio. (Pictured: tntburgertampa’s Covid-19 Vaccine Burger, Best Local Burger Winner)
⚡️Game 4 tonight. Where are you watching? Link ⚡️Game 4 tonight. Where are you watching? Link in bio to our list of 11 spots to catch the Stanley Cup Final on the big screen. (📷: irish31pub)
No doubt, we are grateful to have the Viniks in Ta No doubt, we are grateful to have the Viniks in Tampa. #GoBolts ⚡️ Last year we featured Penny Vinik on the cover of our Art & Philanthropy issue, photographed at Tampa Museum of Art. It’s that time of year again to reserve your ad space and get to give away a free space to the charity of your choice! Email info@TampaMagazines.com for details. 💙
Load More... Follow on Instagram

  • Local Knowledge
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Garden
  • Travel
  • Moving Tampa
  • Sporting
  • Health
  • Tampa Culture
  • Advertise
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Purchase a Copy
  • Digital Issues
  • Email Newsletters
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

© 2018 Tampa Magazine. All rights reserved. Part of the Tampa Magazines Network.

No Result
View All Result
  • Tampa Culture
  • Food and Drink
  • Home & Garden
  • Travel
  • Moving Tampa
  • Sporting
  • Health
  • Local Knowledge
  • Advertise
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Purchase a Copy
  • Shop
  • Digital Issues
  • Email Newsletters
  • Contact
  • MY ACCOUNT
    • Your Membership
    • Profile
    • Update Billing Card
    • Login / Logout

© 2018 Tampa Magazine. All rights reserved. Part of the Tampa Magazines Network.