“I knew my body and was brave enough to not take ‘No’ as an answer. It saved my life.” Her doctor eventually felt the lump and ordered a biopsy. Frances was in her car before going into work the morning she got the call. The nurse told her she had breast cancer and it was rare and a very aggressive kind of breast cancer, Triple Negative Stage 2A. Frances sat alone in her car trying to grasp and understand the news she just received. She told her husband, three daughters, and son, she had their total support.

At the time of her diagnosis, Frances was the First Lady to her husband, George Tiger the Chief of Muscogee Creek Tribe. When treatment began, Frances was very private and hesitant to talk about her breast cancer. “I faced every day with a positive outlook. I never gave up.”, Frances explained. One day she received a call from a tribal elder, “I have had you on my heart today and I wanted to talk to you. God sent me a message to tell you to share your story, you are a voice for Native American Women.” Frances took the elder’s words to heart. She began to share her 18-month cancer treatment on Facebook. “When you get a cancer diagnosis, your life changes from the way you know it, to doctor appointments, chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and being home to recover. Frances shared it all on Facebook.

Frances was the guest speaker for the Muscogee Creek Pink Party and touched many lives. “There were hundreds of people there and many were crying.” Women who had never had a mammogram were inspired to be screened, others were inspired to share their story as well. “God blessed me to speak about my journey. I never asked ‘Why?’”. Frances received an outpouring of support from Facebook friends. They sent prayers, messages, cards, and gifts in the mail. Frances participated in genetic testing to see if there was a genetic link to her mother’s breast cancer. The test results showed that the breast cancer she had was not related to her mother’s and her cancer would not be genetically passed on to her children.

Before her first chemotherapy treatment, Frances, her daughters, and granddaughter cut their hair and donated it to Locks of Love. It was something they did together and to give Frances love and support. Frances did not begin to lose her hair until Day 21 after chemo. The American Cancer Society was a great resource during this time, Frances found it very comforting to know there was an organization to support her with a new wig and cancer education for her and her daughters.

Today, Frances’ hair has grown back and she is doing well. She is very active and campaigning for her husband’s bid for Muskogee Creek Nation National Council. She attributes her health to her support system, “I cannot thank my family enough, George, my husband, Angela, Mollie, Kendra, Kenneth and Gina for their words of encouragement and endless nights of support. Most of all, thank you to the Creator, He carried me through.” Frances would also like to thank all of the Facebook friends who supported her when she needed it most. The advice she would like to share with other American Indian and Alaskan Native Women is, “Don’t be afraid if you find something. Go to the doctor and get checked!”