Ellen Stello

With no prior health concerns or family history, my mom’s diagnosis was certainly a surprise. As a freshman last year, my mom was battling breast cancer as our fundraiser was in full swing. To join a team that has a bigger vision of the world, outside of our college existence, is truly an exceptional thing. To watch my mother fight with strength and an unwillingness to accept anything but a healthy outcome, was amazing. She took a very selfless approach to her diagnosis and focused on being positive. Fortunately, my mother has been cancer free for a year now. I believe that her motherly instincts took complete control during this time period, as she worried more about my reaction and feelings than her own internal concern. Although the number of women that battle breast cancer is constantly increasing, the care and treatment for it is increasing just as quickly. The key is to catch it in the early stages, like my mom did, so that doctors can do their job. By supporting breast cancer research, we help save lives everyday. To watch my mom through this testimonial point in her life gave me confidence in my life to face just about anything and I thank her for that. During this year’s fundraiser, I will be celebrating what breast cancer research has done for my family.

Ellen Stello-NU Women's Swim Team, Class of 2016

Kathleen Patterson

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this cause has become particularly important to me over the past few years. During my sophomore year of high school, my mom was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer. With no family history, no prior risk factors, and a healthy lifestyle, her diagnosis was certainly unexpected. Despite the promising prognosis that resulted from early detection, my family and I still experienced an overwhelming amount of fear and uncertainty. After undergoing a double mastectomy, my mom has now been breast cancer free for six years. Although this family history now increases my risk of developing breast cancer, I find comfort in knowing that many new advancements have been implemented—even since my mom’s diagnosis six years ago—and many more will continue to be developed in the future. By supporting breast cancer research and development, I am hopeful that one day a cure will be discovered and this disease will be a part of the past.

Here is a link to an article written by Kathleen:

http://www.napervillemagazine.com/?q=node/737

Kathleen Patterson-NU Women's Swim Team Class of 2012

Megan Goss

On a Friday morning just one summer ago my family received the news over the phone that my mother had been diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Looking back, that following weekend was in no doubt the scariest time of my life. However, as our initial shock and state of fear lessened, we began to realize just how lucky my mom had been. The cancer had been detected at one of the earliest stages and she underwent a lumpectomy and radiation to remove the mass as well as any lingering cancer cells. The whole process went about as smoothly as possible, and one month ago, my mom received a certificate stating that she has been cancer-free for a full year. My family and I are so grateful for everything that was done for my mom and I will be the first to state what a great thing it is to support breast cancer research. So many advances have been made in this field and made my mom’s journey infinitely better than I imagined possible. Early detection is the most important weapon against this disease and advanced methods of treatment are saving women’s lives every day

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Megan Goss-NU Women's Swim Team Class of 2014