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April 30, 2010

When Sharon Peacock was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002, she committed to fighting the disease. However, when community members approached her about participating in Relay for Life that year, she didn't feel as if she could, according to the BrewtonStandard.com.

"The year I was diagnosed I was asked to be a part of the Relay event," she told the news source. "At that time I was in the middle of treatments and didn’t feel like I had won the battle. I didn't feel like a survivor yet. I just wasn't ready to get involved."

But eight years later, Peacock has survived the disease and become heavily involved in the annual nationwide event, which benefits the American Cancer Society. This year, Peacock served as the committee chairperson at the event.

"The fight I fought against cancer wasn’t for me," she said. "I wasn't through being a mother or a wife or a daughter. I wanted to see my children grow up, graduate and become adults."

Peacock discovered the tumor in breast during a breast self-exam. Much of the money raised at the event will go toward funding better imaging and technology cancer detection, which can lead to earlier diagnoses and a better prognosis for those who are diagnosed with the disease.

According to the National Cancer Institute, a total of 192,370 women were diagnosed with breast cancer last year, and 40,170 women died from the disease.

The American Cancer Society recommends that women over the age of 40 begin to schedule an annual mammogram, and that those as young as 20 begin conducting regular breast self exams.

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