Breast cancer survivor hopes to be an inspiration for others

Look at that Saturday forecast, 82 degrees, hopefully perfect weather for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk of Phoenix, which is Saturday, October 24th. And Stephanie Stockmar will be there volunteering and wants to share her story to inspire those who will walk, donate, and contribute to the American Cancer Society's mission. This is Stephanie Stockmar and her mother, Linda, a mother-daughter duo who know how cancer can devastate a family. Linda, a breast cancer survivor, is now facing a battle with leukemia. Stephanie's uncle died from pancreatic cancer. My mom was in the middle of chemo and my uncle got really sick and passed away from pancreatic cancer. And her oncologist said that that was a very bizarre combination. It happened really fast. And they decided they wanted to go ahead and test my mom to see if she was a BRCA carrier because with him dying of pancreatic cancer, that kind of all falls underneath the same genetic testing. According to the National Breast Cancer Institute, both men and women have two types of BRCA genes. If there is a problem found in one of those genes, a person has a higher risk for developing cancers like breast cancer, ovarian, prostate, and pancreatic cancer. My mom got tested and she came back that she was BRCA2 positive. And so then they said, you need to get your kids tested to make sure they're not a carrier. That's when Stephanie discovered she was also BRCA2 positive. Her doctors gave her an 87% chance of developing breast cancer in the future. I don't want to spend my whole life worrying and wondering if I was going to get breast cancer and then have to go through what my mom went through. So at 48, she decided to sacrifice what she says was a part of her womanhood, opting for surgery. I went in and had my ovaries removed first. I'd had a partial hysterectomy years ago, and I was glad I did that. Two months later, I went in, had my mastectomy, and then went through that journey and then did reconstructive surgeries. Stephanie took a proactive approach because she didn't want to become one of the more than 321,000 women who were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer this year alone. I don't have to worry that it's going to come knocking at my door. Her husband, Steve, and her son and daughter, Austin and Lily, stood firmly by her side throughout the journey. I sat with my kids, talked to my kids. They were in high school, and I said, what do you want to, you know, this is what I'm thinking, this is what I'm doing. And then eventually I need you guys to get tested, too. And them being a part of that process and making that decision was very important. Stephanie is now a previvor and a passionate advocate for the American Cancer Society, which encourages women with an average risk for breast cancer begin yearly mammograms at the age of 40. So you saw that graphic there really is important to get screened at the age of 40 if you can and we want you to join us for the Making Strides Walk. It's this Saturday the 24th at Tempe Beach Park. The event opens at 6:30 in the morning and then the walk will begin at 8. You can get more details at foxtenphoenix.com slash events. Thanks for watching!