Komen program helps patients through chemo

Nearly one year ago today a local Michiana woman was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now, she is a survivor and says she couldn’t have made it through without the help of Susan G. Komen of Northern Indiana.

Vicky Holland is the mother of two teen girls, is the president of a marketing and advertising company and is now a breast cancer survivor.

"I'll remember that day forever. It stops you in your tracks and you think you’re invincible until someone says it’s cancer,” said Holland.

Holland found a lump doing a self breast exam and then the real fight began.

"I had a mastectomy. I had chemo. I had reconstruction, then I had radiation,” said Holland.

Holland says her visits to the chemo suite were eased with help from a brand new patient advocacy program funded by Susan G. Komen of Northern Indiana through United Health Services.

"In the first six months they served over 230 women,” said Sheri Miller Story, Susan G. Komen of Northern Indiana.

For Holland, the help was incredible.

"It really made that very scary horrible first day in the cancer suite manageable,” said Holland.

Komen of Northern Indiana has been in Michiana for about 7 years-and this year’s Race for the Cure will be the fifth.

"100 percent of the race money has gone back into Northern Indiana,” said Miller Story.

In its short time, Komen has given out a list of community health grants, like the one helping Holland, totaling nearly $771,000.

For women in our community, the fight against breast cancer never ends.

Miller Story says she just lost a family friend to breast cancer on Monday.

"While the initial news of that makes me very sad, it also makes me so angry because why are women dying from this disease? We have to do everything we can to stop that,” said Miller Story.

Click here for more information on this year’s Race for the Cure on June 15.