Featured Profile: Rita Gennaro

"...a newfound and greater
appreciation for life"

A diagnosis of breast cancer is never welcome news. But when Rita Gennaro discovered in 2005 that her form of cancer, called "spindle cell carcinoma," is one of the rarest, the Farmingdale resident was stunned.

"It accounts for only 0.5% of all breast cancers, and it's a rapidly growing form," says Gennaro. "There wasn't a survivor I could relate to." Despite the statistics, Gennaro remained optimistic...
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Featured Profile: Cindy Arroyo

"Make sure you are an advocate for yourself"

As a speech language pathologist who teaches at Adelphi, Cindy Arroyo knew about Adelphi's Breast Cancer Hotline & Support Program. But after receiving her diagnosis in January 2006, she became intimately familiar with the "extremely helpful" group.

Today, the 51-year-old Oceanside resident not only volunteers for the hotline, she also speaks about awareness all over the community, most recently at a nursing home.
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Featured Profile: Serap Yildirim

"Helping others helps me cope"

"We are hopeful." That's the translation for the Turkish word "umitliyiz."

It's also the name of the website created by breast cancer survivor Serap Yildirim, a 32-year-old Oceanside resident. Yildirim, who moved to the U.S. from Turkey in 2000, is a full time accountant, wife and mother.
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Featured Profile: Terrilyn Delnick

"I was determined to fight like hell"

Prior to her breast cancer diagnosis in 2006, Terrilyn Delnick, who started her fashion industry career as a model, says that in her mind, the letters "CC" meant Coco Chanel.

After undergoing chemo and radiation, those letters took on a new meaning: Cancer and Chemo. The vivacious Delnick shares her story with a bright smile.
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Featured Profile: Dara P. Richardson-Heron, M.D.

"...a newfound and greater
appreciation for life"

After she found a small lump in her breast in 1997, just one month after her wedding, Dara P. Richardson-Heron's doctor told her it was extremely unlikely that a woman her age (then in her early thirties) had breast cancer.
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Featured Profile: Robin Healy

"Laughter is just what I needed"

Robin Healy received her diagnosis one week before her 50th birthday in August 2005.

The now 53-year-old Huntington wife and mother jokes, "When people asked what I got for my birthday, I told them breast cancer!" That sense of humor, along with the support of her husband Tom, daughters Lauren and Megan, her support group, and what she calls "smart, compassionate physicians" has been a key component in her recovery.
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Featured Profile: Angela Di Pietra

"My glass isn't just half full, it's overflowing"

Nursing student Angela Di Pietra was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 at the age of 34.

Still, despite dark times "when I'd have to work hard to find something to be happy about," Di Pietra chose to remain hopeful. She relied on the three "Fs:" family, friends and faith. "I've always had a strong faith thanks to my parents, so turning to prayer was natural for me," says the Elmont resident, who lost her mother to breast cancer in 1992.
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Featured Profile: Jennifer Montgomery

"Take the time to stay on
top of health issues"

"My sister saved my life." So says Jennifer Montgomery, a 55-year-old East Rockaway resident who had put off her mammogram for a few years. "It was foolish, especially since I've been in the health field for so long," says Montgomery, who works at Beth Israel Medical Center.
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Featured Profile: Diana Giaco and Angela Strollo

"Tell your doctor about your family history"

The mother-daughter relationship is a very special one, and sharing is a big part of the bond.

But Diana Giaco, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1976 and had a radical mastectomy, never wanted breast cancer to be something she and her daughter, Angela Strollo shared.

Unfortunately, at the age of 38, Strollo was diagnosed.
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Featured Profile: Clare Badke

"Keep busy, exercise, educate yourself"

The first thing many people think of when given the news that they have cancer is "Why me?" That's one phrase that never occurred to Clare Badke, a 45-year-old Syosset resident who was diagnosed in October 2003 with a type of breast cancer called infiltrating lobular carcinoma.

What kept Badke going through her lumpectomy, chemo and radiation?
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Featured Profile: Barbara Bergman

"Keep a positive attitude and go on with your life"

As a teacher, Barbara Bergman has always instilled a positive attitude among her students. That spirit helped enormously when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2007.

"I'm a very positive person," says the Freeport resident.
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Featured Profile: Deborah McCrann

"Surround yourself with upbeat people you love"

Six months after her son Liam was born 11 years ago, Deborah McCrann was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"I was 44 years old, and I was determined to see my son grow into a man. I felt that I did not have time for any setbacks."
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Featured Profile: Joanne Padgett

"You can, and will, get through this"

They say water is a healing force.

Joanne Padgett believes that's true. The 50-year-old breast cancer survivor, who was diagnosed in May 2004, calls herself "lucky" to have had chem over the summer because it meant she and her husband could spend weekends on their boat.

"I didn't want chemo or radiation to control my life," says Padgett.
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Featured Profile: Brigida Antonia Nunez

"Early detection saved my life"

When Brigida Antonia Nunez received her breast cancer diagnosis in 2006, her family was devastated. It was her second cancer diagnosis, which made it especially difficult for them to handle.

"My son and daughter were in denial at first," says Nunez. "They were so afraid."
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Featured Profile: Liz Snow

"My support group made me feel I wasn't alone"

As an acupuncturist and herbalist, Liz Snow is dedicated to helping others bring balance into their lives. But when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, it felt like her life had been turned upside down.

"It was emotionally very traumatic," says Snow. "Doctors said I was lucky it was caught early, but I didn't feel lucky."
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Featured Profile: Sylvia L. Butler

"Choose life...failure is not an option"

When Sylvia L. Butler was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, she called upon the resources that have always guided her: Her family, friends, and deep religious faith.

"My personal relationship with God was solid long before this experience and grows even stronger everyday!"
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Featured Profile: Alice Soler

"You have to advocate for your health care"

Alice Soler is a woman who trusts her intuition. Luckily, so did her doctor.

Ten years ago, despite a clear mammogram, Soler had what she calls a "premonition" that something was wrong. Her doctor sent her for a sonogram, which showed breast cancer. »Click here to read the rest of the story