Grande Prairie local and self-described “serial entrepreneur” Tracy Persson has been announced as a finalist for Technology Alberta’s 2024 ASTech Awards in the Indigenous-led Entrepreneurship and Contribution to Knowledge category for her work on an innovative phone application that helps women better monitor their breast health.
In her past life, Persson ran a successful clothing line startup for two years before being diagnosed with breast cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. She says the idea for an app came to her after talking with other cancer patients during her time at the hospital who identified the need for a more centralized approach to treatment scheduling and tracking.
“When I was going through my breast cancer treatment it was at the height of the COVID lockdowns and I had to track everything on my phone, I didn’t have in-person support when I was in the hospital and doing my acute care,” she says. “Grande Prairie has a very large breast cancer support group online so I asked them a lot of questions, people were using calendars, and their notes on their phones so I went down to Community Futures and told them I had an idea to help fill some gaps with early detection and scheduling your treatment plan.”
Her new company, “My Breast Day,” features a variety of tools for women to use before, during, and after treatment such as self-breast exam lessons, general information regarding breast cancer, a built-in financial tracker, and a journaling function for patients to track their journey. The app also emphasizes early detection, which Persson says is key to survivability.
“My message first for all women is, start paying attention to your breast health early, at a very early age, make that a routine to make sure you’re not blindsided when you’re older,” she says. “Because the numbers are so high, one in eight women, just learning that early and focusing on early detection because unfortunately, you’re never too young to be diagnosed with breast cancer.”
“Early detection really is key to being able to survive, if you catch it early I think there’s an 80 per cent chance of surviving.”
My Breast Day is on track to go live sometime this October, a purposeful choice by Persson, as October also marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
