Enduring cancer twice requires more than advanced treatment and smart medical teams. It takes a community of support – caring, eager to help, and nearby. Just ask Sarah Martinez. Five years after a valiant and successful breast cancer fight, Sarah was charging full steam ahead with her life, working on a doctoral degree in educational leadership. Then, just five weeks …

For many people, tennis is just a game played for recreation and exercise. But for Linda Cummins and Bekah Thomas, a day on the tennis court would provide much more — a bond that would strengthen them both during the fight that lay ahead. In May 2017, 60-year-old Linda Cummins had a routine mammogram and learned that her doctors would need more pictures. Not alarmed, …

“Cancer changes you. You realize, once you get through it, that you’re very strong – stronger than you ever thought you were. And I know that about myself.” – Karen Phillips When one of life’s biggest challenges coincides with one of its most important milestones, a special kind of motivation emerges. That was the situation for Karen Phillips, who was …

“Once I found out I was diagnosed, my husband proposed to me. We went to Vegas and got married over the weekend, and on that Monday I started chemotherapy.” – Valerie Shupp Valerie Shupp was originally diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer at 27 years old. After undergoing a mastectomy and chemotherapy, Valerie was followed by a doctor regularly for …

“You never know what you have until something like this happens. I’m forever grateful to these ladies.” – Sheila Hyde Sheila Hyde was just beginning a new job with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission when she found a lump in her breast. A coworker convinced her to take the time to have it checked. After learning the lump …

“It doesn’t matter how old you are. Just go and get checked.” – Ana Knoben In August of last year, 34-year-old Ana Knoben noticed a lump in her breast while showering. A physician at a regional walk-in clinic ordered a mammogram and biopsy after examining it. Ana was at work when she received a call two days later informing her …

“This life, I have realized, has been filled with much joy and a lot of sadness. This helps us evolve into, we all hope, better and more compassionate humans.” – Teresa Green It was March of 2015 when Teresa Green attended a cancer luncheon with a friend at  a local hotel — a few hundred strong and beautiful women, all …

Taking on cancer is always a battle, and for Renee Sendelbach, it has been a fight with many fronts. In 2008, when her son Ian was 13-months-old, Sendelbach felt a lump in her breast and went to her doctor thinking it was just a clogged milk duct. But a mammogram and sonogram told a different story: She had breast cancer …

The best support team has your back even when you don’t know you need it. After a routine mammogram on Oct. 2, 2014, Lisa Voorhies was told she would need an ultrasound. After the ultrasound, she was told she needed a biopsy. Two days later, the news came in: She had breast cancer. Thus began a cancer journey that has …

Fear is not a friend when it comes to health. Just ask Suzanne Williams of Dale, TX. Williams first noticed a soft mass in her right breast in April 2010. “Like everyone, you think ‘There’s nothing wrong; maybe it’s just a hormonal thing or an infection.’ So I didn’t do anything about it.” A few months later, things had only …