Breast Cancer: There’s a Cure, and We’ll Find it!

I met a woman who is a breast cancer survivor who devoted her life to helping find a cure for the millions women who will be or already have been diagnosed with the disease, including her own daughter. This mother works with the Indiana University Department of Medicine, and she says researchers are making great strides in the fight against breast cancer. Today, I’d like to introduce you to Barbara Fetta.

A Breast Cancer Survivor’s Story: Turning Pain into a Positive

I’ve met quite a few breast cancer survivors, and I asked them all the same question: what would you say to someone who is going through what you’ve been through, someone who just learned they have cancer? All of the answers were fantastic, but one really stayed with me. Sheila Hebenstreit says there is something positive to learn from having breast cancer. So here it is. Here’s what Sheila learned as only she can explain it.

A Survivor's Story: Whatever it Takes to Live

Breast cancer forces you to make decisions--decisions you never dreamed of ever having to think about. Some of the women I’ve had the honor of meeting knew whatever conclusion they reached, it would change their lives forever. But one survivor said it best: “whatever it takes to save your life, I say do it.” Here’s Nancy Yvonne Milton’s story as only she can tell it.

Reality Check

This morning, I got upset over something so very trivial. Then I logged on to an internet job site that also covers news. I noticed an obit that shook me to my core. It was for a television news anchor who lost her battle with breast cancer yesterday. All of sudden everything that bothered me this week--everything that consumed my thoughts: all the worries I had about covering the election, feeling sad about my boss taking a new job, wondering what his departure meant for me, pondering if I should throw my hat into the ring for the promotion. I was totally consumed with my own issues that seemed so monumental. Then I read the article and watched the video about Heather Pick’s war with breast cancer which included two battles. I read about her two children and her husband who will now go on without her. I read about how she helped others and made her battle very public in hopes of inspiring others to fight. All of my issues felt so small. I forgot whatever I was angry about and decided instead her family had the right to be angry, upset, sad--whatever they felt like. Cancer had come like a thief and stole their loved one away from them. Heather Pick was just 38 years old. While she made her battle very public, sharing it with her viewing audience, many others who share her battle you will never hear about, but she represents them all. Here’s Heather’s story.

http://www.wbns.com/live/content/station/stories/2008/11/07/heather_pick.html?sid=102

Live Election Results for Women on the Go (WOGO)

Election 2008: We are witnessing the next pages that will be added to history books around the world. This 2008 Presidential election has gotten people interested in politics who didn’t care before. It’s gotten people to register to vote who have never cast a ballot before in their lives. It’s ignited a fire in people’s bellies like I’ve never seen before. We are now ticking down the final days, hours, and minutes before we know if Senator John McCain or Senator Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States. Women on the Go and CBS News are bringing you live election returns, updated every 60 seconds.

NEWS VS. ENTERTAINMENT

The lines between news and entertainment are even more blurry these days. “D.L Hughley Breaks the News” debuted on CNN Saturday night. Yes, I did say CNN. I watched the entire thing, and all I could think of was: “This should really be on Comedy Central.” Is CNN really the place for comedians to be talking about pimps, b!@#$%s, and thongs? Should CNN really be using its experts and reporters to appear on a less-than-successful knock-off of Comedy Central’s fake newscast the Daily Show. Doesn’t that affect the journalist’s credibility and CNN‘S for that matter? Meantime, news is breaking about anchor and reporter Anne Presley dying of her injuries after being attacked, and all the National news stations are in non-news programming, including CNN. Oh wait, CNN just broke in with a 15 second update on it! Great thanks! I am a journalist, and I would have to say yes, we put some things in the show that are just fun to know--water cooler stories, but this--to me as a journalist--takes us a few steps back. Agree/disagree? Let me know.

A Breast Cancer Survivor's Story

It’s not a death sentence. That’s the message many breast cancer survivors want to share with others who just learned they have the disease. It’s been a short time since Patty Rich got the devastating news. She shares with us the drastic measure she took to keep the cancer from coming back, who helped her through her ordeal, and advice for women just starting their fight against the disease. Here’s Patty’s story as only she can tell it.

A Survivor's Story

Every year, tens of thousands of women get news that changes their lives forever. They learn they have breast cancer. Paula Martinez got that news several years ago and has been fighting the disease ever since. I’ve met a lot of survivors over the years, and they all affected me in different ways. Paula’s raw emotion reminded me of the struggles my mother went through battling breast cancer. So here is our second “Survivor’s Story” as only Paula can tell it.

A Survivor's Story (Breast Cancer Awareness)

I’ve had the honor of meeting some phenomenal women. They were diagnosed with a devastating disease: breast cancer. They fought it; they won; and now they share their stories to help others who are going through the same thing. Today, we hear Judy’s story, as only she could tell it.

An Introduction: Breast Cancer Awareness Month

A decade is a long time to wait to tell a story, but that‘s what I did. The only way I can explain myself for depriving you of such an inspiring tale of courage and strength is to say the story is so important to me, I’ve been eager yet gut-wrenchingly terrified to put it in black and white simply because I’m not confident what I will write is strong enough to do it justice. I’m not sure a page or two in a blog could begin to scratch the surface of the devastating events we lived through and triumphed over.

More than ten yeas ago on Thanksgiving Day, I nearly lost my mother to massive heart problems. By the grace of God, doctors were able to bring her back to us. It was a long road to recovery, but my mother got back on her feet, only to be knocked down again by another devastating blow: breast cancer. It was the one-two sucker punch of life that we never expected. No one in our family had ever suffered from this illness. Beyond that, hadn’t this woman gone through enough? It was time to don the armor again and fight the next battle that had made its way to our doorstep whether we were ready for it or not. My mother’s battle with cancer opened my eyes to the fight millions of women had gone through before her and millions more will undergo in the years to come. My sister and I helped her through everything this terrible disease does to the body, mind, and spirit. We were there to dress her wounds after her surgery. We went with her to the radiologist. We went with her to survivor fundraiser fashion shows, events we hoped would give her back the self-esteem the disease stole from her. Across the country, millions of women have something in common with my mother. They too have fought breast cancer and won. I’ve had the honor of meeting some of them. These are amazing, courageous women. I will share all of their stories with you over the next few weeks as we raise awareness of this disease.