But survival is possible.<\/p>\n

In 2004, a group of 26 Latina cancer survivors from South Texas shared their stories to inspire hope, comfort, and resiliency in a bilingual booklet called Nuestras Historias: Mujeres Hispanas Sobreviviendo el C\u00e1ncer del Seno (Our Stories: Hispanic Women Surviving Breast Cancer).<\/p>\n

2014 marks the booklet\u2019s 10th anniversary.<\/p>\n

Today, 16 of the remaining Latina survivors have new, courageous stories to tell about the importance of cancer screening and that Latinas can not only survive cancer, but thrive in the workplace, school, home, and family.<\/p>\n

Read their stories below\u2026[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″]

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The Booklet<\/h3>\n

The Nuestras Historias booklet contains English\/Spanish essays by 26 Latina cancer survivors from South Texas.<\/p>\n

The booklet was produced in 2004 by Redes En Acci\u00f3n, a national Latino cancer research network funded by the National Cancer Institute and based at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio.<\/p>\n

View the Booklet<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row” el_class=”bleed color dark-grey roomy”][vc_column]

The Survivors<\/h2>[vc_column_text css=””]\n\n\n

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  Sylvia Beilstein<\/h3>\n

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  Sylvia Beilstein – I know that being a survivor also means that I am a good candidate to get cancer again. However, I am confident that I would overcome it again.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Sylvia Beilstein – My hopes for the near future are that there will be a cure for all types of cancer. I will also try to help others continue to obtain free mammograms.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Maria Huerta<\/h3>\n

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  Maria Huerta – I broke down when I looked in the mirror for the first time, but I thought, if I don\u2019t accept myself, who will?<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Maria Huerta – [Nuestras Historias<\/em>] changed my life\u2026it brought a special closeness for my family all over again. The experience I felt is priceless to read testimonies from other woman (my sisters for life), knowing I am not alone.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Aurora Guajardo<\/h3>\n

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  Aurora Guajardo – Our bodies are the temples of the souls that were given to us by God. We have an obligation to take care of them.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Aurora Guajardo – To survive, we must be proactive about our health and find any malignancies or tumors at their earliest stages when there\u2019s more treatment and cure opportunities.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Gloria Diaz<\/h3>\n

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  Gloria Diaz – I thank God every day for giving me a second chance to live life to its fullest. May God bless each and every one who is going through this same experience.<\/p>\n\n \n

  2004 Story<\/a><\/p>\n \n <\/div>\n

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  Gloria Diaz – The book impacted my life by reminding me how grateful I was to conquer this battle and made me live life to the fullest every day since then.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Bea Vasquez<\/h3>\n

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  Bea Vasquez – My advice is to trust in the Lord and modern medicine, and never accept the word cancer in your life. We have endured the test, the pain, and have joined the club of survivors.<\/p>\n\n \n

  2004 Story<\/a><\/p>\n \n <\/div>\n

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  Bea Vasquez – I have no challenges. I do not entertain cancer or any other illness. I trust in God\u2019s will.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Irene Maldonado<\/h3>\n

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  Irene Maldonado – Throughout it all, I knew I was exactly where God intended me to be. I was very much aware that all of my angels were there to help me.<\/p>\n\n \n

  2004 Story<\/a><\/p>\n \n <\/div>\n

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  Irene Maldonado – Everyone\u2019s cancer is different. Don\u2019t make everyone\u2019s story your own. Stay focused and try to concentrate on your next appointment only.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Joan Trevino Lawhon<\/h3>\n

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  Joan Trevino Lawhorn – We can freeze and let the disease consume us, or we can fight. My choice was to fight.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Joan Trevino Lawhorn – Cancer was a gift. It reinforced my faith. It has allowed me, in many ways, to reach out to other women and men and share my story of survivorship.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Monica Uribe Nanez<\/h3>\n

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  Monica Uribe Nanez – My 7-year-old daughter Brianna told a grieving relative, \u2018Why are you crying? Dios es grande.\u2019 That became our battle cry.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Yolanda Medina<\/h3>\n

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  Yolanda Molina – To me, heroes are those who fight without training against an enemy they cannot see.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Yolanda Molina – Becoming a survivor gives you a new perspective on life\u2026the things I do in life now is because they make me happy, I enjoy the challenge, the outcome and amazing myself and others. I\u2019m not scared to try or make things.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Tanya Enriquez<\/h3>\n

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  Tanya Enriquez – I made a promise that I would do everything to make young women aware of this disease and the importance of early detection.<\/p>\n\n \n

  2004 Story<\/a><\/p>\n \n <\/div>\n

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  Tanya Enriquez – Remember this is a fight for YOUR life: fight hard and smart. And remember, this hurdle is temporary and you WILL come out stronger in the end and a NEW and better YOU.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Tammy Ruiz<\/h3>\n

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  Tammy Ruiz – My husband and six children were my strength. There was always someone to love, accompany, and encourage me.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Tammy Ruiz – I was truly was scared\u2026until I started learning about \u201ccancer\u201d and its treatment, surgeries, and the awesome help by medical professionals and volunteers at the CTRC.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Sylvia Fernandez<\/h3>\n

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  Sylvia Fern\u00e1ndez – The past is history, the future is a mystery. All we have is the present, which is a gift from the Creator.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Sylvia Fern\u00e1ndez – Although we are never ready for a cancer diagnosis and the subsequent treatment\u2026to me it was a gift that continues to give me opportunities to reach out to newly diagnosed patients and give them hope.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Meg Reyes<\/h3>\n

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  Meg Reyes – I am a wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend, but most of all I am a survivor.Meg Reyes – Reading the stories of other [Nuestras Historias<\/em>] survivors aided me in realizing we all experience our challenges differently, but are affected by the same cancer which bonded us together.<\/p>\n\n \n

  2004 Story<\/a><\/p>\n \n <\/div>\n

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  Meg Reyes – Reading the stories of other [Nuestras Historias<\/em>] survivors aided me in realizing we all experience our challenges differently, but are affected by the same cancer which bonded us together.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Mary Gonz\u00e1lez<\/h3>\n

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  Mary Gonz\u00e1lez – Be assertive about your health care. Know your body. Rely on your family and faith. And stay positive<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Mary Gonz\u00e1lez – Survivorship means that I have been able to see my children grow up; I\u2019ve been given the opportunity to enjoy my grandchildren, the chance to grow old with my loving husband. I am living a full and healthy life!<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Lucila Mendoza<\/h3>\n

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  Lucila Mendoza – I felt God\u2019s hand at all times and I can\u2019t stop thanking Him, my family, my friends, and the doctors<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Lucila Mendoza – I started a small business, have been a strong supporter of my daughter\u2019s professional career, purchased my house, saw my son get married\u2014now I am going to be a grandmother.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Julie La Fuente Louviere<\/h3>\n

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  Julie La Fuente Louviere – This thing called cancer was not going to take me down\u2026I wore a T-shirt that my niece gave me that said, \u2018I\u2019m Too Sexy for My Hair.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  Julie La Fuente Louviere – Survivorship means I am able to wake up every morning and be a wife to my husband, a mom to my girls, now a Glam\u2019ma to my grandson, and loving aunt and sister\u2026and never take life\u2019s moments for granted.<\/p>\n\n \n

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  In Memoriam<\/h2>[vc_column_text css=””]\n\n\n

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  Elva Fletcher<\/h3>\n \n \n

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  Elva Fletcher – We need to unite and help each other for our own sake and for the sake of our families. No Latina should walk alone.<\/p>\n\n

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  Esperanza Ferreyro<\/h3>\n \n \n

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  Esperanza Ferreyro – Throughout this experience, my family became more united. My husband Carlos\u2026his love and support were unconditional.<\/p>\n\n

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  Diana Covone<\/h3>\n \n \n

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  Diana Covone – My husband Tony was with me all the way. He used to call it \u2018our\u2019 cancer.<\/p>\n\n

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  Mary Oliva<\/h3>\n \n \n

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  Mary Oliva – I found my spirit tested. My mother\u2019s words reminded me to find the good things.<\/p>\n\n

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  Irma Macias<\/h3>\n \n \n

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  Irma Macias – While I still see the stressful existence of our \u2018old\u2019 culture in some families, I believe that times have changed \u2013 for me and for many Hispanic women.<\/p>\n\n

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  Raquel Chacon<\/h3>\n \n \n

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  Raquel Chac\u00f3n – I searched in the deepest part of me and that\u2019s where I found my answer. God was with me at all times.<\/p>\n\n

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  Mar\u00eda Ya\u00f1ez<\/h3>\n \n \n

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  Mar\u00eda Ya\u00f1ez An old saying goes, \u2018No hay peor lucha que la que no se hace.\u2019 There isn\u2019t a worse fight than the one that is not made.<\/p>\n\n

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  Olivia Aguilar<\/h3>\n \n \n

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  Olivia Aguilar We don\u2019t have to fear cancer, but we do have to deal with it, expose it, and get rid of it.<\/p>\n\n

  2004 Story<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/li>\n\n\t\n\t\n<\/ul>\n\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  [vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Breast cancer is the No. 1 cancer killer of Latinas. But survival is possible. In 2004, a group of 26 Latina cancer survivors from South Texas shared their stories to inspire hope, comfort, and resiliency in a bilingual booklet called Nuestras Historias: Mujeres Hispanas Sobreviviendo el C\u00e1ncer del Seno (Our Stories: Hispanic Women […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-262","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n