ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A lot of effort goes into raising awareness about breast cancer. Despite that, many people don’t know about one of the rarest and potentially most dangerous forms of breast cancer.

Now survivors are speaking out and there’s even legislation to help make a difference.

“When my daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer, we learned that it was triple-negative breast cancer. But frankly, I had never heard the phrase before. I didn't know what it meant,” said Rep. Joe Morelle.

It’s been 10 years since his then 29-year-old daughter Lauren was diagnosed with TNBC.

“Unfortunately, triple-negative breast cancer, which is the rarest, probably affects between 10% and 15% of most women who get it,” Morelle said.

According to the American Cancer Society, triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive type of invasive breast cancer and differs from other forms because it tends to grow and spread faster, has fewer treatment options and tends to have worse prognosis. They add that it tends to be more common in women younger than age 40, who are Black, or who have a BRCA1 gene mutation.

Lauren fought for two years and passed away at the age of 31.

“In my daughter's case, she had a double mastectomy, she had surgery, she had radiation, she had chemo and unfortunately passed away in 2017,” said Morelle.

“I found out that it was triple-negative breast cancer,” said two-time triple-negative breast cancer survivor, Michele Chantra, a mother of three who was diagnosed in 2020.

“And then was hit again in 2023 with a recurrence. So it came back in virtually the same spot," said Chantra. "So I did do a mastectomy a second time around, followed by more chemotherapy."

She comes forward to raise awareness about this form of breast cancer.

“So it's really a challenging diagnosis to face," she said. "And I think if we can just kind of get the word out that there's still this very aggressive disease that exists."

Morelle is also getting the word out and doing his part to make a difference.

He has introduced legislation to advance research, treatment and prevention of triple-negative breast cancer, which includes the Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Research and Education Act.

He says it’s aimed at helping more people receive access to life-saving information and treatments – in memory and in honor of his daughter.

“So it's something that's a passion of mine," he said. "I clearly have personal experience with it and want to do everything I can. In Lauren's memory, really to help others who are facing this disease.”