Toya Johnson is joining our fight against the fibroid epidemic as a Fibroid Fighter. Toya is widely known for her reality television appearances in “Tiny and Toya”, “Toya: A Family Affair”, and “Growing Up Hip Hop Atlanta”, and shares her fibroid journey as an ambassador in hopes that women will seek solace in and learn from her testimonial. Toya’s fibroid journey included her fibroids returning even after undergoing a myomectomy.

However, she refuses to let this stop her from empowering others. She focuses on a fitness routine and healthy eating to ease her symptoms. Toya focuses on a dedicated fitness routine and healthy eating to manage her symptoms, but she is most grateful to have discovered Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE). Now aware of this effective, non-surgical option, she is using her platform to ensure no woman feels forced into surgery due to a lack of information.

There Has to Be a Better Way

Toya’s battle began where most women’s does: with abnormal and severe menstrual symptoms like heavy bleeding and painful cramps that often left her immobilized. She complained to her doctor about her symptoms and was diagnosed with fibroids after getting x-ray testing. Forty-one percent of women see at least two healthcare providers before diagnosis[1], which can add stress and uncertainty to a situation in which the woman is already suffering. Even though the process of her diagnosis was relatively quick, Toya was scared and didn’t know what to expect.

So, she did what many women who receive a fibroid diagnosis would do: she waited to seek treatment. On average, women wait 3.6 years after the initial diagnosis to get treatment[2]. “I waited because I thought the fibroids would get better on their own, but they got worse,” says Toya. When she went to seek treatment, only hysterectomy and myomectomy were presented to her as options. “I had heard of hysterectomy before,” says Toya, “A few of my family members had gotten one, but they were older, so I was surprised it was being presented to me as an option.” Knowing that she wanted to have more children, Toya opted to have a myomectomy done.

However, Toya was warned that even after the myomectomy, her fibroids could come back. She felt that if her fibroids did return, it would inevitably lead to another more serious surgery, which made her upset that there weren’t more and better options for treatment. “I remember thinking to myself, ‘Is there a better way, because this isn’t it,” Toya shares. She’s joining the fight against fibroids as a Fibroid Fighters Foundation ambassador to let women suffering like her know that there’s a better way than surgery to treat their fibroids.

“The More You Know the More You Grow”

The decision to undergo surgery was driven by desperation. Toya was suffering from severe anemia and exhaustion. “I was so tired of bleeding, so tired of being in pain,” she recalls. The physical toll led to an emotional one, causing her to isolate from social activities and her career.

The myomectomy removed 10 fibroids, ranging from the size of a gumball to a golf ball. The recovery was grueling, costing Toya six weeks of independence and professional opportunities. Her frustration peaked when her fibroids eventually returned.

“If I had known about UFE, it would have been my first choice,” Toya says. “I dealt with scarring and lost so much time during recovery.” She is now speaking out to transform that feeling of defeat into advocacy. “I believe the more you know, the more you grow.” By sharing her experience, she encourages women to ask the hard questions and take control of their health journey.

Join the Fight to Stop the Suffering

Toya initially felt embarrassed by her struggle, but opening up to her mother, aunt, and friends revealed a startling truth: almost everyone she knew had been impacted by fibroids.

“It’s frustrating that fibroids are so ‘hush-hush’ when so many suffer,” Toya says. As a Fibroid Fighters Ambassador, she is breaking that silence. Bringing the fibroid epidemic into everyday conversation is the only way to ensure every woman knows her options.

Join the Movement

We make it easy for you to join the fight. Explore our blog to read more ambassador stories and learn about the legislation the Fibroid Fighters Foundation is supporting to improve research and education. Be a beacon of hope like Toya—share your story on our website today. We are here to help you turn your questions into a plan for wellness.

[1] Erica E. Marsh, Ayman Al-Hendy, Dale Kappus, Alex Galitsky, Elizabeth A. Stewart, and Majid Kerolous.Journal of Women’s Health.Nov 2018.1359-1367.http://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2018.7076

[1] Ibid.