Fight for your life

“The fear will come, but you cannot embrace it. If you embrace fear, it's just gonna take you down.”

– Bridgette Hempstead

Wellness on the Block

Our Next Event

Saturday July 19th

Blockwalk 9:30-11:30am

Festival 12:00-3:00pm

Skyway Resource Centre

12610 64th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98178

Who we are

About Cierra Sisters

With over 28 years of service, Cierra Sisters is a trusted nonprofit founded by breast cancer survivor Bridgette Hempstead. We are dedicated to educating, empowering, and uplifting Black women and women of color affected by breast cancer. Through culturally grounded education, vital resources, and a supportive community, we walk alongside women as they navigate their journey with strength and dignity.

Black women are about 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women.

(Source: American Cancer Society, 2024)

Black women are often diagnosed at later stages of breast cancer, when it is harder to treat.

(Source: CDC, 2023)

Black women are more likely to be diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, a more aggressive and harder-to-treat subtype.

(Source: American Cancer Society, 2024)

What we do

Our Impact In Action

We break the silence and the fear by empowering black women and women of color and their support systems with knowledge, resources, and a community that cares.

Education & Outreach

Knowledge is a critical part of survival. Through culturally grounded workshops, community events, and honest conversations, we empower Black women, women of color, and their families with life-saving breast cancer education. We break down barriers with truth, trust, and togetherness because everyone deserves to understand their bodies and their care.

Access to Care

No one should walk through cancer alone. We help navigate the healthcare system and connect our community to essential resources, whether that’s emotional support, transportation, or a warm voice that says, “We’ve got you.” We fill in the gaps so our sisters and their caregivers do not fall through them.

Advocacy & Research

We do more than show up. We advocate. By working with doctors, hospitals, and researchers, we ensure that Black women and women of color are represented in breast cancer research, diagnosis, and treatment. We push for equity, demand better data, and fight for a future where healthcare truly works for all of us.

Testimonials

In Their Own Words

I will never forget the moment I connected with Cierra Sisters. I was lost, scared, and had nowhere to turn. I had been denied treatment and felt completely shut out by the very systems that were supposed to help me. Doors were slammed in my face and hope was slipping through my fingers. Then came Bridgette and the Cierra Sisters.

Their support, their knowledge, and their unwavering commitment were unlike anything I had ever experienced. They fought for me. They believed in me when I didn’t even believe in myself. They opened doors in oncology departments that had been firmly closed and held institutions accountable when I thought no one cared.

Cierra Sisters gave me a voice at a time when I felt invisible. Their advocacy turned my fear into strength and my silence into power. I am standing today because they stood beside me when I could not stand on my own. I am forever grateful for Bridgette and this extraordinary sisterhood. Their love is fierce, their mission is real, and their impact is life changing.

Rest in love, Bridgette. Thank you to the Cierra Sisters for showing me that I was never alone.

In 2019, our world was turned upside down when our 19-year-old son was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. From the very beginning, Bridgette Hempstead and Cierra Sisters showed up for us - day or night, without hesitation. Bridgette held our hands through every step of the journey. She taught us how to fight, how to advocate fiercely for our son, and how to navigate a health care system that often overlooks our needs.

We learned it was okay to say no, to question hospital protocols, and to challenge the status quo when it didn’t serve our family’s best interests.

Cierra Sisters provided not only resources and guidance, but also the strength, community and caring we didn’t know we needed.

Cierra Sisters support was—and still is—absolutely priceless.