How could I have known that while I was winning four National Championship Titles this summer that I had a cancer growing in my breast? I felt great! I was swimming fast times. I think it was a couple of days before the meet, when I was trying on my skin tight FINIS Onxy swim suit that I felt a knot in my left breast as I pulled my suit up over my shoulder. This was mid August. I pushed out of my mind the thought that the lump/knot could be anything other than a benign fibro adenoma, which athletes with "dense" breasts often get. I couldn't think about this now. Later after the meet was over I would examine this more closely.
I also hope to help raise breast cancer awareness. After all, I'm not alone--1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer prior to the age of 80 and 1 in 17 women get breast cancer between 50 and 60 years of age. Together, we can ensure better odds for future generations of women.