An attorney from Mountain Home who is living with stage IV metastatic breast cancer is set to share her experience in a groundbreaking clinical trial for a breast cancer vaccine. Holly LaFevers will speak at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Mountain Home as part of the church’s recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

LaFevers, a member of St. Andrew’s congregation, is enrolled in a Phase II clinical trial for STEMVAC, an experimental DNA-based vaccine developed by the University of Washington’s Cancer Vaccine Institute. According to the announcement, she is one of about 40 participants nationwide in the trial.

STEMVAC is designed to target five proteins found on breast cancer stem cells, which researchers believe play a key role in chemotherapy resistance, cancer spread, and recurrence. By training the immune system to identify and attack these cells, the vaccine is intended to enhance existing treatments. The University of Washington is conducting two Phase II trials for STEMVAC, pairing the vaccine with chemotherapy or hormone therapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Participants in the trial receive a series of priming doses followed by booster shots alongside their standard cancer treatment.

For LaFevers, participating in the research was an easy decision. “For many of us in the trial, this isn’t just about our own diagnosis,” said LaFevers. “It’s about helping researchers develop treatments that may one day save the lives of our children, grandchildren, and countless others who face cancer.”

Therapeutic cancer vaccines remain an emerging field of study. Researchers are hopeful that by advancing technologies like STEMVAC, they will improve cancer outcomes by reducing recurrences and potentially providing preventive treatments for high-risk individuals.

LaFevers expressed her desire to encourage others to consider participating in clinical trials, emphasizing the need for collaboration in the fight against cancer. “Medical breakthroughs don’t happen by accident,” she said. “They happen because patients, researchers, and physicians work together. I’m honored to play a small part in that process.”

She also highlighted the universal impact of cancer, adding, “Cancer has touched nearly every family. Research is how we turn hope into progress.”

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, where the event will be held, is located at 511 Coley Drive in Mountain Home.