"Breast cancer has been a source of fear for me but it has also been a tremendous blessing because it has helped to change me and to allow me to help others," Mack said. "I wanted to get involved
because here I am a young woman and I beat this disease. I wanted to get involved and help other people going through this." Mack will join thousands of women and men on Oct. 2 to
participate in the third Race for the Cure, an event sponsored by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to raise money and awareness to fight the disease. After working on the survivors'
committee last year, she is a team captain for First Union, where she works.
The race, which will take place in uptown starting at the First Union Atrium, is expected to attract 7,500 walkers and raise $500,000.
Seventy-five percent of the proceeds will be returned to the community in the form of grants to support breast health programs.
Mack, who has no history of breast cancer in her family, discovered
the lump while doing a self-exam.
"I was kind of in shock but then I called my mother in Wilmington and she suggested I call my
doctor," she said. "My doctor examined me then referred me to get a mammogram. That in turn led to me getting a biopsy after the mammogram revealed the lump was malignant."
Mack said she always tried to maintain a positive outlook during treatment. The chemotherapy caused her to become ill and lose her hair. Her reaction was wearing different types of wigs to cover up her hair loss.
"The hardest thing about the breast cancer was losing my hair," she said. "I was on the phone one day twirling my hair and it came off in my hands.
"A lot of women feel like when they become ill with cancer and start to lose their hair, they lose their identity. That is what I think a lot of women are afraid of and that is why they hesitate to get
checked out."
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among African American women and the second leading cause of death. African American women are less likely than white women to survive after
diagnosis, possibly due to later detection. Mack's advice: take matters into your own hands with self-examination.
"Don't be afraid because if you catch it early, then you have a better chance of living," she said. "If you find something wrong, go get it checked out no matter how small it is. Sometimes the smallest
thing can lead to the biggest problems."
For more information about the race, call 442-7223.
