CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — During the month of October, for Breast Cancer Awareness Month a mother and daughter duo are hoping their story will shine light on the importance of early detection.
Marta Juarez and her mother Neri Hinojosa are both cancer survivors.
Hinojosa said, "I was diagnosed about 7 years ago with breast cancer triple negative."
Hinojosa said doctor's caught the cancer early on before it got worse, thanks to her late husband's advice.
"He said if nothing else get a breast cancer test. I was thinking what would that have to do with anything, my pain's coming from back here. But I agreed to it and thank god it saved my life." she said. "All I had to do was get radiation treatments and not chemo."
But about five years later, like deja vu, Hinojosa's daughter received a similar diagnosis. As if the pandemic wasn't enough of a concern in 2020, that was also the year Martha Juarez started her battle with breast cancer.
"Everything was shutting down, and I basically had to go through treatment alone. I was not allowed to have someone come with me to my chemo treatments or come to the surgery room." said Juarez.
Her mother added, "I felt really bad and in the first place I felt guilty and thought she had gotten it from me but we both actually had different types of Breast Cancer. But I didn't want her to go through what I went through."
Juarez was able to receive treatment and has been cancer free for a year and a half. Like mother, like daughter, she says she was able to recover because doctors detected the cancer early on when she got an opinion about a suspicious lump.
"There's been so many advances in research today that could help to take the cancer out if you don't wait. So the earlier you catch it the better it is." said Juarez.
The two are now members of the American Cancer Society's (ACS) Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Corpus Christi.
The group says if you want to help in the fight to end breast cancer, it can start with a single step. The non-profit is planning a non-competitive 5k walk to raise awareness for Breast Cancer. The non-profit says it's not just a walk, it says it's a movement to honor survivors, thrivers, previvors and those who have passed away due to Breast Cancer.
Local Making Strides Walk
The event is scheduled for Saturday, October 29. It's a family and dog friendly event. Participants are encouraged to wear bright shades of pink and come prepared with comfortable walking shoes and rain protection. The route will take you through downtown Fremont and loops back to Gas Works.
To register you can click here.
The Cause
And because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is working to raise $150,000 within the month's 31 days. ACS' Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event raises funds for Breast Cancer research and programs.
For donation information you can click here.
It's an important cause for many because Breast Cancer is the most common cancer in American women, except for skin cancers. In the state of Texas, an estimated 21,040 new cases of Breast Cancer are expected to be reported in the year of 2022 according to the American Cancer Society. AMS estimates 3,440 deaths due to Breast Cancer this year in the Lone Star State. In the U.S. AMS is estimating 290,560 new cases of Breast Cancer and 48,780 Breast Cancer deaths in 2022.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says some women will get breast cancer even without any other risk factors that they know of. It says having a risk factor does not mean you will get the disease, and not all risk factors have the same effect. It recommends if you have breast cancer risk factors, talk with your doctor about ways you can lower your risk and about screening for breast cancer.
