How 17 Under-50 Women Learned They Had Breast Cancer—and What Helped Them Through It
“Here I was preparing to tell my 12-year-old I have cancer and I’d already made plans to change the world.”
“I was 39 when I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of stage 3 breast cancer, HER2positive. Routinely, while doing my monthly self breast exam, as I’d done on the first day of every month for over 20 years, I felt something huge—the size of a ping-pong ball. My treatment included six months of chemotherapy, two surgeries, 42 radiation treatments, and then an additional six months of chemotherapy. The day after receiving my diagnosis I went on my family’s pre-planned annual vacation to the southern Outer Banks of North Carolina. My husband and I were planning to tell my son the news of the diagnosis and I wanted to clear my head, so I went on a run. As I was running, I came upon a compound of 43 houses that were completely abandoned. As I started my run back to our beach house, I kept thinking that these houses were meant to be used for something. I could paint them pink and create a cancer retreat center where families could come to get away from the daily life of cancer. I had a feeling I was supposed to do something amazing with this idea, but I also thought, ‘You just found out you have cancer. What are you thinking?’ Here I was preparing to tell my 12-year-old I have cancer and I’d already made plans to change the world. This experience is what led me to develop the plan for Little Pink Houses of Hope, where we provide cancer sufferers a free, week-long vacation full of relaxation and fun experiences. Since 2010, Little Pink has served more than 550 families at one of 13 annual retreats they hold across eight states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Maryland, Arizona, U.S. Virgin Islands, Florida, and California.” —Jeanine Patten-Coble