WASHINGTON - According to the American Cancer Society, about one in eight women will have invasive breast cancer during their lifetimes. Nearly one in 33 will die from the disease, but more women are winning the battle thanks to increased awareness and improved treatments.
What women also need, says Army National Guard Warrant Officer Tammy Brooks, is support from family, friends and coworkers. Brooks knows, because she was diagnosed with advanced stage breast cancer more than one year ago.
On June 2, Brooks, along with those helping in her recovery, was strong enough to run five kilometers during the 18th annual Susan G. Komen National Race for the Cure.
She said she wanted to make people more aware of how important personal support is to women fighting breast cancer.
"We are Army strong, but we are family strong too," said Brooks about the Guard members who supported her.
Her run followed months of surgery, radiation and chemo-therapy. She said there were many difficult moments, such as when she had to tell her 6-year-old son about her condition, and her overnight treatment at a military medical center. Then there was her return to work at the Army National Guard Readiness Center in Arlington, Va., looking like a woman who had battled breast cancer.
"Others could see what was happening to me, but I want to get my life back," said Brooks. "Now I want to show how the Guard takes care of each other and how it supported me."
Brooks was one of nearly 3,880 beast cancer survivors who ran between the memorials, museums and government offices that make up the DC mall. More than 40,000 supporters joined them. Together they raised nearly $4 million for their cause.
She was an avid runner before her cancer, Brooks explained, and she had run in Army 10-mile races. So she was enthusiastic about getting back to the sport, back to her life and would "never complain about her Army fitness tests again," she said.
Today, Brooks is back at the readiness center working in personnel. Her doctors continue to monitor her condition and said they will never know if the disease is completely gone. What helps her, she said, is the knowledge that the Guard will be there for her, especially her boss, Col. Marianne Watson, who has been her "special angel" and ardent supporter throughout it all.
"There are so many women in the Guard who have breast cancer, and we need to let them know they are not alone," Brooks said. "I appreciate the support given to me by my entire Guard family."