Sherry Smith-Webber

couldn’t wait to get her two

“monstrosities” off her chest so that she could

attend the opera on time.

After years of being very large breasted, the 56-

year-old opera aficionado opted to get a bilateral

mastectomy with no reconstructive surgery. Fresh

out of chemotherapy since May and now taking

tamoxifen, Smith-Webber is glad to have followed

her instinct.

“The doctor said that I would have had as good

a prognosis if I had the lumpectomy, but I was a

‘triple B’ size. I’d always wanted a reduction, but

I’d never do cosmetic surgery,” said the

Hummelstown resident.

“I always said that if I need to have any type of

breast surgery, they were both going, and there

would be no reconstruction either. I was very set

on what I wanted.”

Diagnosed in December 2011, she discovered a

lump during a self-exam. In the past, Smith-

Webber has had four negative biopsies, but she

knew that something was wrong.

Time was of the essence as doctors at Penn State

Hershey Medical Center performed the

mastectomy in late January. She thought the cancer

would put a damper on her opera schedule, but

the surgery was such a success that by late

February, Smith-Webber attended the last concert

of Wagner’s Rain Cycle at the Metropolitan Opera

in Manhattan.

“The nurse at the Breast Center said they put on

the front of my chart, ‘Get her to the opera on

time,’” she said. “After having invested in 18 hours

of opera, I was not going to miss the last one.”

One of the hardest parts in her recovery was

feeling tired at times, but Smith-Webber is

thankful for the love and support of her husband

of 32 years and their daughters.

“I made it through, but it was hard,” she said.

“But it does come to an end.”

Survivor StoryMonstrosities,

AdieuWritten by Rosalba Ugliuzza

Breast Cancer Awareness 2012 – 1in8 3

Dear friends and colleagues,

The cover of this special insert visually illustrates how many women will develop breast cancer in her

lifetime, according to the National Cancer Institute.

We can’t change hereditary factors, but knowing signs and symptoms, changing lifestyle behaviors that

increase your risk, and taking advantage of early detection screenings may help to reduce your chances of

developing breast cancer. Just as important, however, is doing monthly self-breast exams, noting any changes

and bringing them to the attention of your healthcare provider.

Finding out that we have breast cancer strikes fear in our hearts. Knowing there are qualified professionals

that we can turn to that have the knowledge, experience, and expertise will help us through this most difficult

journey.

We are thankful to Penn State Hershey Breast Center for partnering with us to bring this essential

information to you. They are the only nationally accredited breast center in Central Pennsylvania and have

been designated as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence. Through their continued research, exceptional

medical professionals, and state-of-the-art equipment and technology, they hope you will look to them if faced

with this life-changing experience.

We are deeply grateful to the women who have shared their personal stories. They hope to give other

women optimism. The support and words of encouragement from others, especially those who have lived the

experience, may help us through challenging times.

Christianne Rupp, Managing Editor

3912 Abel Drive • Columbia, PA 17512 717.285.1350 • onlinepub.com

5 For the Love of Her Daughter

In memory of her daughter, a mother is inspired to help

women with breast cancer regain their self-esteem.

6 A Team Approach to Breast Health

The Penn State Hershey Breast Center and Cancer Institute

partner to create a more inclusive team for all patients.

8 Determining Hereditary Risk for Breast

and Ovarian Cancer

Are you or a family member at risk for HBOCS?

10 Triple-Negative Breast Cancer –

Raising Your Awareness

Find out more about this rarer, more aggressive form of

breast cancer.

13 ‘Mom, Don’t Cry – Your Soul Still Has Hair’

A woman’s journey reveals the definition of true beauty.

Inside:

A supplement to BUSINESSWWoommaann magazine

5

6

8

10

Breast Cancer Awareness 2012 – 1in8 5

Crickett Julius was only 39 years old

when she heard the dreaded words,

“You have stage IV metastatic breast

cancer.” Her 64-year-old mother,

Bonnie Julius, was there with her, but

didn’t know what those words meant.

Crickett did. She knew she was

terminal.

It was a shock. There were no

symptoms, and Crickett zealously lived

a healthy lifestyle, was athletic, and

did breast self-exams.

About a week before Crickett was to

take a vacation to Bermuda in June

2006, she began having stomach pains.

Her mother thought it might be her

gall bladder, so she suggested Crickett

see a doctor before leaving on her trip.

Her doctor sent her for an upper

quadrant ultrasound and it was then

that the tumor was found. After a

second opinion, Crickett was given

only weeks, or a couple months at

best, to live.

Even though she had accepted her

fate, Crickett was determined to fight.

And Bonnie was determined to help

her. So she left her home and job in

York, Pa., with her boss’s blessing, to

go to Crickett’s hometown of

Cleveland.

While at the hospital for her

chemotherapy sessions, Crickett would

listen to meditation CDs and Bonnie

would often chat with the other

women also going through chemo.

“They looked to me like they were

totally lost. They didn’t have an ounce

of self-esteem or femininity,” Bonnie

said. “I knew my daughter was self-

confident. She had no hair, but she

would have all her makeup on and

earrings. She was sure of herself. But

these women looked like they had lost

everything.”

Crickett lost her fight in October

2006. While mourning the loss of her

daughter, Bonnie never forgot the

other ladies she had chatted with and

was determined to help women like

them with breast cancer.

“I had no thought of working to

earn money for research. I am turned

off by that to this day. It’s not my cup

of tea,” Bonnie said.

But helping women with breast

cancer get their self-esteem back was a

fight Bonnie was ready for. So in

2008, Bonnie, with the help of her

niece, Carole Trone, started the

nonprofit Crickett’s Answer for

Cancer.

Crickett’s Answer for Cancer

provides women with breast cancer

with new, free wigs, mastectomy

products, and lymphedema products,

as well as massages, facials, and other

pampering services “so they feel like

women despite the loss of their hair or

breast,” Bonnie said.

Crickett’s Answer for Cancer has

partnered with Wigs.com and

LympheDIVAS to assist with wigs and

lymphedema compression garments,

she said. For other products and

services, Crickett’s Answer finds a

provider in the woman’s area and pays

100 percent of the cost directly to the

provider.

Crickett’s Answer began with two

clients in 2008, but just three years

later it served 200 women from across

the nation. And in just the first three

months of 2012, there were 81 women

who were helped with $100 worth of

products.

However, due to a lack of funds,

Crickett’s Answer for Cancer currently

is only assisting pending clients.

Should donations increase, it would

again take on new clients, Bonnie said.

Anyone wishing to donate to help

women with breast cancer should go

to crickettsanswerforcancer.org. All

donations are tax deductible.

“We will happily accept any

monetary donation—$1, $5, $50,

$500—so we can assist women with

breast cancer,” Bonnie said.

Fundraising events also are being

planned. Details about upcoming

events in which you could participate

or offer support can be found at

crickettsanswerforcancer.org.

For The Love of Her DaughterWritten by Lori Van Ingen

Cri

cket

t Jul

ius

Cri

cket

t with

her m

other,

Bonnie

Car

ole

Tron

ean

dBonnie Julius

6 Breast Cancer Awareness 2012 – 1in8

In March 2008, Penn State Hershey Breast Center

opened its doors at 30 Hope Drive in Hershey, Pa., as an

additional outpatient building on the Hershey Medical

Center campus.

The Breast Center was the result of a collaborative vision

shared by its co-directors, breast radiologist Dr. Susann

Schetter and breast surgeon Rena Kass.

The center focuses on early detection and screening. The

goal is to welcome women (and men) into their

care and to decrease anxiety from the very

first mammogram through the journey of

detection, diagnosis, and treatment, to

cancer-free living.

The Breast Center was designed

to be a less clinical-appearing and

a more non-threatening, family-

centered location for those

making that journey.

From digital screening,

diagnostic mammography,

breast ultrasound, and MRI, to

consultations, biopsies, and fine-

needle aspirations, this 15,000-

square-foot facility houses an array

of specialty breast-care services all

under one roof.

Consequently, the medical teams can

deliver a patient-centered, comprehensive,

multidisciplinary approach to each patient, providing

advanced testing and treatment for both benign and

malignant breast disease. The Penn State Hershey Breast

Center includes the following teams: breast imaging, breast

surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, plastic

surgery, genetic counseling, integrative medicine, and a

breast center manager.

One of those essential team members for the center is

breast nurse navigator Michelle Farnan, RN, MSN, OCN.

She describes herself as a resource, providing education and

support to women recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

She steps in at the beginning and responds to questions

like, “What should I do now?” and helps in the aftershock

that can follow a diagnosis.

She maintains communication and a physical presence

with her patients from the initial stages all the way through

treatment and recovery, serving as translator and

knowledgeable guide through what can seem

like a maze of confusion and fear.

Additional team members for each

newly diagnosed patient include a

breast surgeon, a medical oncology

doctor, and a radiology oncology

doctor. These providers meet

weekly at the same table to

discuss treatments and make

decisions as a team, thereby

ensuring that an individualized

treatment plan is developed for

each patient.

“For example,” says Farnan, “the

surgeon and radiologist evaluate a

case together, in the same room. After

a diagnostic evaluation, which may or

may not include an ultrasound, a patient is

then scheduled to see a breast surgeon.”

All of the providers have direct access to one another and

to patient information in one facility, making the Breast

Center unique in the Central Pennsylvania area. Farnan

describes it as “real-time collaboration.”

Another feature that adds to the Breast Center’s

distinction is its NAPBC (National Accreditation Program

for Breast Centers) designation, for which 27 criteria must

be met. These criteria provide the assurances of quality

A Team Approachto Breast HealthWritten by Kim Klugh

The Breast Center

was designed to be a

less clinical-appearing

and a more

non-threatening,

family-centered

location. ((

Breast Cancer Awareness 2012 – 1in8 7

patient care and physicians striving to differentiate

themselves as breast experts. They are one of the first breast

centers in the region to receive this accreditation.

According to the NAPBC website, the designation can be

earned by a center if it “meets or exceeds quality standards

established by the NAPBC, if it is evaluated every three

years, and maintains high levels of excellence.”

The Penn State Hershey Breast Center works with the

Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, enabling it to create a

more inclusive team for all diagnosed patients. Weekly

meetings are held with the Institute’s specialists as well and

may include a radiologist, a pathologist, a surgeon, medical

and radiology oncologists, nurses, and support staff.

Farnan says, “This gives added assurance that you are

being discussed.”

The relationship with the Hershey Cancer Institute also

affords access to clinical research trials and protocols on new

cancer treatments, along with the latest radiation and

chemotherapies.

Another component of the Breast Center is its risk

assessment program. As women age, the risk of breast cancer

increases. However, if you are at risk for breast cancer due to

heredity factors, you can receive counseling that may help

you to either prevent breast cancer from occurring or detect

it early when it’s most treatable. Genetic testing (if

applicable) is also available for high-risk patients at the

Breast Center.

Encouragement is also offered through support groups at

the center. A support group for breast cancer patients meets

the first Monday of each month. A support group for

children (CLIMB) who have a parent with cancer also meets

at the center.

Thirty-two women are diagnosed with breast cancer every

day in Pennsylvania. The Penn State Hershey Breast Center

reaches out to an entire community, with 20-25,000 visits a

year.

If you’re over 40, you can schedule a screening

mammogram at Penn State Hershey Breast Center without a

doctor’s referral. If the screening indicates the need for

follow-up tests and possibly a treatment plan, the

multidisciplinary team is right behind you.

Although research shows that true hereditary

cancer is rare, it’s vital to your own health and

the health of additional family members to

determine whether or not you are at risk for

Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome

(HBOCS).

Penn

State

Hershey

Breast Center

offers a cancer-

risk assessment

as part of the

initial process for

determining

those at risk for

HBOCS.

Genetic testing

may prove to be

an appropriate

follow-up

consideration in

order to

determine the

presence of either

a BRCA1 or

BRCA2 (BReast

CAncer genes 1

and 2) mutation.

These two

genes are the

most well-known

genes linked to

breast cancer

risk. The

inheritance of one of these gene alterations, from either a

mother or a father, substantially increases the risk for

breast and ovarian cancers and increases the risk for

other cancers as well.

With regard to HBOCS, board-certified genetics

counselor/medical geneticist Maria Baker, Ph.D., at Penn

State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, says, “Knowledge

is power. With it we can change the course with various

risk-management strategies and treat, if need be, at an

earlier stage with more curable rates.”

Baker, who

developed and

coordinates the

Penn State Milton

S. Hershey Cancer

Genetics Program,

provides genetic

counseling services

to individuals who

are concerned

about a personal

and/or family

history of cancer.

Baker may be

called upon for a

variety of HBOCS

cases with medical

oncologist Dr.

Leah Cream,

director of the

hereditary risk

program of Penn

State Hershey

Breast Center, and

Robin Suess,

MSN, CRNP,

OCN, who

provides risk

assessment and

follow-up across the continuum of care.

Baker says she works peripherally with the Penn State

Hershey Breast Center and tries to eliminate some of the

barriers for people when they initially meet a genetics

From left: Robin V. Suess, MSN, CRNP, OCN;Michelle Farnan, RN, MSN, OCN, Breast Center Nurse Navigator;

Leah Cream, MD, Medical Oncology;Maria J. Baker, Ph.D, FACMG, Genetic Counselor/Medical Geneticist

8 Breast Cancer Awareness 2012 – 1in8

Determining Hereditary Riskfor Breast and Ovarian Cancer

Written by Kim Klugh

Breast Cancer Awareness 2012 – 1in8 9

specialist. If test results are not straightforward or are

layered with complexity, Baker says she’s brought in by the

Breast Center to offer consultation or genetics counseling.

She may enter the process “early on or at the tail end,”

depending upon a patient’s circumstances. For example,

Baker references a case in which a mutation was expected

to show up in a young woman. The woman’s test results

came back negative, but another family member received

positive results; Baker was brought in to help explore the

possibilities of the “why” and where to go from those

results.

While genetic testing can determine whether or not you

have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, Next

Generation Sequencing technology has enabled the

development of multi-gene sequencing panels.

“Testing,” says Baker, “has become much more efficient.

We have options to look into newer tests that may shed

light on other genes responsible for a hereditary

predisposition to breast cancer within a family. These tests

can help to make sure we’re not missing a mutation within

a family.”

The Breast Center provides a team of specialists to

screen, evaluate, assess, and then establish the

individualized care plan based upon each patient’s specific

needs. If a risk is determined through assessment, there are

risk-management options to consider.

Baker says that surveillance can be started at a younger

age by beginning mammograms at 25. If a genetic

predisposition is apparent, then an annual breast MRI can

be scheduled. Chemoprevention medications, like

tamoxifen or raloxifene, can be prescribed to lower the

risk of breast cancer; oral contraceptives can be prescribed

to lower the risk of ovarian cancer. Some women consider

another option: prophylactic surgery, which is the removal

of an organ or tissue that shows no sign of cancer in an

attempt to prevent its development.

Baker points out that genetic information is considered

health information and is thereby protected by HIPAA—

the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act

of 1996—if one has group health insurance. Protection

against genetic discrimination is also offered through

GINA—Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of

2008—for most asymptomatic individuals.

According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity

Commission, under Title II of GINA, it is illegal to

discriminate against employees or applicants because of

genetic information. In addition, under Title 1 of GINA,

regulations that address the use of genetic information in

health insurance are also issued.

“Making the decision to pursue genetic testing is very

personal,” says Baker, who wants to dispel the myths

surrounding it. It can be expensive, but “most times we’re

successful in getting insurance companies to cover the

costs.”

Sometimes the answers are not always clear-cut. Waiting

upon the results can create anxiety, and she says it takes

time to adjust to the test results, whether positive or

negative.

“Testing,” she says, “can also weigh heavily on siblings

and parents.”

Seeking information does not commit women to going

ahead with genetic testing, but rather encourages them to

make fully informed decisions. Identifying a hereditary

risk could help prevent the occurrence of cancer altogether

or aid in its early detection so that a treatment plan can be

generated with the goal of restored health.

10 Breast Cancer Awareness 2011 – TThhee ppoowweerr ooff ttoouucchh

This might be the first time you have heard of triple-

negative breast cancer (TBC), but you wouldn’t be alone.

Although not much has been publicized about it, this

form of breast cancer is so named because the three

receptors that successful breast cancer treatments

target—estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and

human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)—are

not found in women with this breast cancer subtype.

The tumor is estrogen receptor-negative, progesterone

receptor-negative, and HER2-negative, hence the name

“triple-negative breast cancer.” It accounts for

approximately 15 percent of breast cancers.

What can be frightening about the diagnosis is that

this form of breast cancer tends to be more aggressive

than other types. It is more likely to spread beyond the

breast and to recur after treatment.

Five-year survival rates also tend to be lower for triple-

negative breast cancer. A 2007 study of more than

50,000 women with all stages of breast cancer found that

77 percent of women with triple-negative breast cancer

survived at least five years, versus 93 percent of women

with other types of breast cancer.

Who is Most Likely to Be Affected by TBC?

As with any kind of cancer, specific groups of people

are more likely to develop TBC.

They include those before age 50 (versus age 60 or

older, which is more typical for other breast cancer

types), African-American and Hispanic women, and

people with a BRCA1 mutation. When people with an

inherited BRCA1 mutation develop breast cancer,

especially before age 50, it is usually found to be triple-

negative.

Triple-Negative Breast Cancer –Raising Your AwarenessWritten by Leslie Feldman

Treatment is More Difficult

but Progressing

For doctors and researchers, there is intense interest

in finding new medications that can treat this kind of

breast cancer.

Since hormones are not supporting its growth, the

cancer is unlikely to respond to hormonal therapies,

including tamoxifen, Arimidex (chemical name:

anastrozole), Aromasin (chemical name: exemestane),

Femara (chemical name: letrozole), and Faslodex

(chemical name: fulvestrant).

Triple-negative breast cancer is also unlikely to

respond to medications that target HER2, such as

Herceptin (chemical name: trastuzumab) or Tykerb

(chemical name: lapatinib).

It can be scary to find out that you have a form of

breast cancer that is often more aggressive than other

types and isn’t a good candidate for treatments. But

triple-negative breast cancer can be treated with

chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and new

treatments—such as PARP inhibitors—are showing

promise. Researchers are paying a great deal of

attention to triple-negative breast cancer and working

to find new and better ways to treat it.

Surgery is also an option. Based on other features

of the cancer, such as stage and grade, a doctor will

work with the patient to determine the best treatment

approach. You also may wonder whether you should

have more aggressive treatment, such as mastectomy

rather than lumpectomy, or more chemotherapy

treatments, or higher doses of chemotherapy.

It’s logical to assume that, since triple-negative

breast cancer tends to be more aggressive, it should

get more hard-hitting treatment. At this time,

however, there is no standard recommendation that

people with triple-negative breast cancer should have

more aggressive treatment.

Studies Focus on

Chemotherapy Benefits

Studies have looked at whether giving

chemotherapy before surgery—called neoadjuvant

therapy—may be a good choice for women with

triple-negative breast cancer. A recent study of

women with locally advanced triple-negative breast

cancer found that for two-thirds of them,

chemotherapy medications given before surgery

resulted in no living cancer cells in the tumor when it

was removed.

Another study, published in 2008 by researchers at

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, found that

chemotherapy before surgery benefited some women

with triple-negative breast cancer, causing all evidence

of disease to disappear. For these women, survival

rates were similar to those of women with breast

cancer that was not triple-negative.

If you follow the treatment plan that makes the

most sense for your specific situation, while doing

your best to make healthy lifestyle choices such as

exercising regularly, limiting alcohol, and eating a

healthy, low-fat diet, you’re doing everything you can

to treat the cancer.

Breast Cancer Awareness 2012 – 1in8 11

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“You never know

how strong you are

until being strong

is the only choice

you have.”

— Anonymous

When 36-year-old

Maggie Pfitzenmaier discovered

she had cancer, she quickly focused on one

thing: being a mom.

In 2010, Pfitzenmaier was six months pregnant

with her third child when she developed breast

cancer. Her priority was putting her unborn son’s

needs first.

“We chose to do the lumpectomy first and

proceed with the other treatments after I had the

baby because I wanted to make sure that he was

healthy first,” said Pfitzenmaier. “I’m a mom so my

priority was to make sure (my kids) were fine so I

could get through it as best as I could.”

The tumor was located near Pfitzenmaier’s heart.

After the lumpectomy, she started chemotherapy

when her youngest son, Trent, was 5 weeks old. By

September 2011, doctors at Penn State Hershey

Medical Center performed a bilateral mastectomy

with reconstructive surgery.

According to WebMD.com, breast cancer is the

most common type of cancer for pregnant women

in their mid-30s. Though pregnancy doesn’t cause

breast cancer, the hormonal changes in the body

during pregnancy can augment the tumor growth.

In Pfitzenmaier’s case, the cancer was non-

hormonal, meaning there was no increase in her

hormones.

Physically, Pfitzenmaier’s mastectomy proved

grueling.

“Mastectomy was hard because I couldn’t pick up

my kids. I had to be careful—like I couldn’t even

get a dish out of the cabinet,” she said.

With the constant support of her loved ones,

Pfitzenmaier, who has participated in the Tough

Mudder race since her surgery, said cancer has made

her stronger and credits her daughter Lily, 8, for

making her see the positive side of her recovery.

“She would come up with the most inspiring

words out of anybody, which is very heartwarming,”

Pfitzenmaier said. “She said, ‘OK, Mom, we are

going to get through this. It’s OK, Mom, we are

going to get a baby.’”

Survivor StoryMom’s

the WordWritten by Rosalba Ugliuzza

12 Breast Cancer Awareness 2012 – 1in8

Breast Cancer Awareness 2012 – 1in8 13

Since you were a little girl, you started to

download programs from commercials, movies, and

magazines that defined your perspective of beauty

and femininity: hair, breasts, body shape, eyebrows,

eyelashes, etc. So what happens when you stand

before a mirror looking at your image that no

longer has hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, or breasts?

On Jan. 10, 2006, one week prior to my final

divorce court date with three children (8, 10, and

12 years old), I got a phone call that blew the doors

open in the area of self-image: “Lauren, are you

sitting down? You have invasive ductal carcinoma,

grade three, stage III breast cancer.”

In less than a two-year period of time, I

experienced a divorce, a double mastectomy, 16

chemo treatments, an additional year of chemo, six

weeks of daily radiation, and a MRSA staph

infection, along with 12 surgeries due to third-

degree burns on my chest from the radiation/chemo

combination. They grafted my back onto my front

so now I really don’t know if I’m coming or going

most days.

I say this without any sense of victimization

because all of this gave me the opportunity to

practice what I teach in this world. As a world-

renowned stress relief expert, what better training

than to go through two of life’s top stressors at the

same time: cancer and divorce?

I remember my 10-year-old son found me

weeping in my room one day, and he put his little

hands on my bald head and said, “Mommy, don’t

cry—your soul still has hair.” Out of the mouths of

‘Mom, Don’t Cry –Your Soul Still Has Hair’

Written by Lauren E. Miller

Continued on page 14

14 Breast Cancer Awareness 2012 – 1in8

babes come simple truths sent from heaven to

wake you up to what is real, true, and beautiful.

The world screams and God whispers.

It is in moments like this that true inner

transformation happens instantaneously. My son

was right. My soul still had hair, even though

physically speaking I was bald.

I continually apply that expansive statement in

my life: My soul still has the ability to love, even

though I have been hurt in the past; my soul

knows that God is with me, and

therefore, all things are possible;

my soul remains intact no

matter what happens to my

physical body; my soul

defines my authentic

beauty as created in the

image and likeness of

God, not the image in

the mirror.

This understanding

freed me from the yoke of

slavery to the definition of

beauty as portrayed by the

media, and once I experienced

that freedom, I have never looked back.

After my double mastectomy, I covered all of

my mirrors for one week after my very wise

mother shared an Indian practice with me that

she thought contained a lot of wisdom: Mirrors

rob the soul of its true identity. During the week

that I was unable to see my physical appearance, I

reconnected with parts of my personality that I

believe got lost along the way as I dabbled in the

drug of approval. Worrying “what will people

think” is one of the great distractions that prevent

women from resurrecting and confidently living

out their own unique inner beauty and God-

given talents.

Losing my physical appearance was one of the

greatest invitations back to my authentic beauty

and inner strengths and abilities. The most

wonderful thing about this discovery is the

realization that true, authentic beauty flows from

the inside out, not the outside in, and it can’t be

amputated.

As the sheets came down after a week of inner

prayer and reflection, I jumped back at the

physical image I saw staring back at me. Bald,

breastless, scared, and hairless, I remember saying

out loud, “WOW! This is a wild experience! I

can’t even tell if I am male or female from the

waste up.”

I then got about 2 inches away from

the mirror and said, “There you

are, Lauren. You are still in

there, and from this moment

on you are no longer

defined by your outer

appearance. Who you are

is untouchable and

beautifully created; God is

with you. I LOVE YOU, I

LOVE YOU, I LOVE

YOU! You are a cancer

conqueror!”

An attachment is an

emotional state of clinging to the

belief that without some particular

thing, person, outcome, or situation, you cannot

be happy. Reflect on those things in your life to

which you have sold out your sense of identity

and that have become an attachment. As you

release your grip on your attachments in order to

love, accept, and celebrate you, inner peace will

become your close companion.

Lauren E. Miller is founder of Stress Solutions

University, is an international speaker, an award-

winning international best-selling author, and she has

received national and international media recognition.

Utilizing StressSolutionsUniversity.com, bi-monthly

Live Stress Relief Hotseat video calls, workshops,

conferences, and 1:1 programs, Miller equips people

with mindset skills and physiological techniques to de-

stress their lives, regain inner clarity, and step into

personal excellence. www.laurenEmiller.com

Mirrors

rob the soul

of its true identity.((

Continued from page 13

Soul

The American Cancer

Society reports that each year, about

180,000 women are diagnosed with infiltrating

ductal carcinoma, a common type of breast cancer.

Diane Funston-Dillon was among those

women. The news hit her like a ton of bricks, but

the unconditional support of loved ones and the

passion to educate other women about the disease

have made her live life to the fullest.

“Breast cancer has taught me so much: how to

enjoy life and how much more I can enjoy life.

There is a lot of life still out there for me,” she said.

“I’ve learned that I can help another person through

their journey from diagnosis through treatment and

even to the end of their journey.”

Funston-Dillon’s journey began in October 1996

when she was diagnosed at age 42. Her emotions

initially delved into dread and terror.

“I couldn’t think straight. My thoughts were all

about dying. I had no risk factors,” she said. “I had a

thousand questions, but was afraid to ask even one

of them. I wanted to disappear or turn back time.”

Funston-Dillon underwent a lumpectomy with

axillary dissection followed by a mastectomy.

Navigating through her chemotherapy treatments

was difficult because it made her ill and it was

unbearable to work.

She found encouragement and empathy through a

support group. Her family and friends were also very

present in her recovery.

“They cooked and made meals for me. They

stayed with me after my surgeries and treatments so

I wouldn’t be alone,” she said. “They were

everything to me and so much more.”

Funston-Dillon urges newly diagnosed women to

never give up on their fight.

“Facing breast cancer involves fear, distress,

courage, and hope. Armed with knowledge, a

positive attitude, and the will to survive, we can

prevail, overcome, and even triumph,” she said. “We

are in this together.”

Survivor StoryLiving Life

to the FullestWritten by Rosalba Ugliuzza

Breast Cancer Awareness 2012 – 1in8 15

Often, when I was a young man of five years,

I thought I saw a monster under my bed.

Darkness and fear panicked me, but

Was it real? Was he there at all?

As a child, I lied. Lied to myself and tried

To pretend the monster was not there.

Mom would hold me tight and whisper:

“Close your eyes and don’t ever be scared.”

Then I was an old man of twenty-five years

When the phone rang and the monster became real.

They said that inside of Mom, the monster resides.

It used to take my courage; now it was stealing her.

Straight from the days of yore, a valiant battle

Between the monster and my mom raged on.

Brutal. Vicious. A fight to the death.

I couldn’t feel, and I couldn’t watch to see who won.

As a man, I lied. I lied to myself and tried

To pretend the monster was not there.

Mom held me tight and whispered,

“Close your eyes and don’t ever be scared.”

As she did so heroically when I was five,

Mom won the battle, just as she said.

Now each day is precious, cherished by all.

The Monster Under the BedWritten by her son, Matthew