“Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.” – Christopher Reeve… Cancer. It’s one of the scariest words in the English language, isn’t it? And for women, one of our biggest fears is often breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society – The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her life is a little less 1 in 8. The chance of dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 36. Scary stuff, right? And cancer is one of those big issues – those things that seem so overwhelming, and make you feel so helpless, like there’s not much that you can do about it. But you CAN do something about it. We all have a story of how breast cancer has touched our lives, and I have a great way for you to show your support for finding a cure….

“Women agonize… over cancer; we take as a personal threat the lump in every friend’s breast.” – Martha Weinman Lear

My story starts when I was 22 years old. I knew that I should be doing the self-exams every month, for breast cancer detection, but hadn’t ever really made it a priority. I was young, healthy, and invincible, right? One month I did remember. And I remember that day so vividly. I felt a lump. Immediately, that bubble of fear lodged in my throat. It must be a mistake, right? I felt again, and it was pretty unmistakable – a lump. I didn’t say anything to anyone for 2 days. Finally, I realized that ignoring this wasn’t going to make it go away… I called my mom, crying. She reassured me that it probably really WAS nothing. She had felt lumps before in her life, and they ended up being nothing at all to worry about – But, it was very important that I call my doctor right away.

“Some days there won’t be a song in your heart.  Sing anyway.” – Emory Austin

As I waited for my appointment, I decided that talking about my fears and worries might make them more manageable. I couldn’t believe it – Every single woman I talked to had her own story of how breast cancer had affected her life. I heard about  women who found a lump after never having done self exams, and suddenly facing treatment for advanced breast cancer. I heard stories of women who fought bravely against this horrible disease – some who won, and some who lost. And while many of the stories were heartbreaking to hear, there was also a ton of hope. Hope for those in recovery, hope for our kids – that they’ll never face this. Hope for a future without breast cancer. Luckily, my story ended uneventfully – after an exam and further appointment with my doctor, it was determined that the lump I felt was a small harmless cyst. I was lucky, and I know it. But the whole experience changed me, made breast cancer more real in my life, and encouraged me to help support all of the women who don’t get so lucky. And – I’m here to share something that all of us with hope can do to help. Keep reading to learn more…

Your Strides Save Lives

The American Cancer Society has a great event that you can get involved in – It’s called the Making Strides breast cancer walk. It’s happening in communities all across the country, and it’s easy to get involved. You can learn more about how to sign up, how to show your support, and how your strides help save lives – visit their site to get more info. And stay tuned for an update soon from me, about how I’m getting involved too. Join me!

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is the American Cancer Society’s nationwide series of walking events to raise funds and awareness to end breast cancer.

{Disclosure: Compensation was provided by the American Cancer Society (ACS) via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of the American Cancer Society (ACS). Photo credit one: pfala, photo credit two: tomt6788. }