BOSTON -- Local researchers have uncovered scary, new statistics regarding breast cancer in black women.

As NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported, the study found black women have the highest risk of developing the deadliest form of breast cancer.

For the second time in nearly 10 years, Carmen Johnson is battling cancer.

"I'm now a metastatic breast cancer patient with a tumor in my liver," Johnson said.

Johnson is at the forefront of the city of Boston's Pink and Black campaign. She is one of 12 other breast cancer survivors dedicated to sharing their stories to raise awareness about the statistics surrounding breast cancer in black women.

"It helps to hear scary information from people that look just like you," Johnson said. "We're more likely to die, or not live as long as white women."

And new research finds black women are three times more likely to develop triple negative breast cancer. It's a rare, aggressive and difficult to treat cancer.

"Thirty percent of black women had this triple negative breast cancer," said Dr. Carol Rosenberg, a researcher at Boston University School of Medicine.

Rosenberg is the lead author of new research on black women and breast cancer. The study found the triple negative type of tumors target black women, regardless of their age or weight.

"We showed that it was three times more common in pre-menopausal black women, but also more common in post-menopausal black women," Rosenberg said.

Researchers are still not sure why black women have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Johnson knows she can not change breast cancer statistics for black women, but she can raise awareness and stress the importance of early detection.

"We're not doctors. And we can't diagnose ourselves. And we can't diagnose you. But we can know our bodies," Johnson said.