Spring/Summer 2007 Newsletter

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A Survivor and an Inspiration:  Marta Monetti

Ask Marta Monetti about breast cancer, and you'll meet her family.

"I lost my sister Terry to breast cancer in 1997. She was 35 years old. My father had breast cancer before that. His half-sister in Italy also had breast cancer. His full sister has had breast cancer twice. My mom was diagnosed in 1998, a year after my sister had died. I got breast cancer in June of 2003. Right after my surgery, within the year, my dad had it again."

Marta actually remembers a time when breast cancer was just a blip on the radar screen. She was in college, just out of high school, when her father was first diagnosed. She didn't think much about it. In 1993 Marta's sister Terry talked to her about walking in the Race for the Cure. Right before the Race, they found out Terry had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

"Her diagnosis was pretty scary. They told her it was aggressive and she'd need major treatment. At the race, I was walking around, seeing all these banners that said, "In Memory Of." Before that, I didn't realize how devastating the disease was. And all those pink hats meaning they were survivors. It was a challenge, and we were going to beat it. I was very committed on one side to being there with her, and on the other side, I was very afraid because it could take one's life."

Terry didn't live to see her nephew born in 2000. Marta was 39 years old and working hard two-and-a-half years later when she was diagnosed.

"I just barreled my way through it," she says. "There was a little guilt. I had the kind that was very curable and operable. Why didn't my sister have the same one? It brought up all kinds of memories."

"I haven't missed a Race since. If I had to go out of town, I'd leave the conference early. What I adore about Susan G. Komen for the Cure is its commitment to raising funds to find a cure."
"My sister Terry is my hero!"

Komen also provides education about breast cancer and lets patients hear from survivors. "For those who don't know anyone who has been diagnosed, it's so unknown. You don't have knowledge. For those who can share and talk about it, get in touch with someone who has walked that journey and get that wisdom."

In addition to raising funds for research to eliminate breast cancer from the face of the planet, Marta says Komen gives women a sense of unity.

"There's the encouragement, the camaraderie. There's a real strong essence of bringing out the strength of women en masse. More is possible collectively than individually. It rallies women around a very important cause, and there is power in that."

Save the Date:  September 22, 2007
Komen Surivor Celebration Luncheon

Click here for more survivor stories.


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