Our mom was a quiet powerhouse. She raised a family pretty much on her own. She ran a business, sometimes worked two jobs, and stayed employed until her mid-80s. She did this to provide for us and to give us a good, stable home.

In the 70s, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

I’m not sure she had annual exams or paid adequate attention to her health, but she was lucky. She was a regular blood donor and because of that learned that her white blood count was off.

She saw a doctor, learned her diagnosis, and had a radical mastectomy.

She approached the disease with her usual hero way of being.

After treatment, she was cancer-free … for 40 years! Late in her life she was diagnosed with stage 4 recurring breast cancer. But cancer wouldn’t beat her. She was enrolled in a drug trial and held her cancer at bay, ultimately dying from other causes at 90 years old.

For her 90th and again at her death, friends and family made donations to cancer-related organizations on her behalf. She was always grateful for being able to live through her disease and wanted to help others.

She is my role model AND my hero.

Please get screened so you can be a hero, too!

Thom G.