Vanessa Echols

Q. Tell us a little about yourself and your lifestyle.

A. I live in Orlando, FL, where I anchor the morning and noon newscasts at the ABC affiliate station, WFTV; and a morning newscast on our independent station, WRDQ. I'm very involved in the community, speaking at schools, churches and civic organizations. In my limited free time, I enjoy spending time with friends, traveling, reading and hanging out with my Golden Retriever, Samson, who was adopted from a local rescue organization. I am a three year breast cancer survivor. I went through six months of chemotherapy, 30 radiation treatments and a mastectomy.

Q. Describe how you found your cancer, were you on 'watch' or did it sneak up on you?

A. I was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer on February 23, 2004, following a yearly mammogram. The mammogram did not detect a lump in the breast. However, an ultrasound (due to dense breast tissue) revealed enlarged lymph nodes under my arm. I was not experiencing any pain, despite the size of the enlarged lymph nodes. So going in for that mammogram saved my life.

Q. Following diagnosis, what helped you cope the most, and gave you strength?

A. The two most important things that helped me following diagnosis are faith and family. My faith in God has always been a very important part of my life, so I relied on that to help me through all that cancer treatment involves. My parents were a tremendous source of support. They immediately arrived from Alabama to help me. Because of their support, I always felt as if I had help with taking care of the daily things in life, so I could focus totally on treatment and getting better.

Q. How has breast cancer changed your outlook on life?

A. Breast cancer has taught me to enjoy every day. I know it may sound like a cliché but after breast cancer, no day is boring and uneventful. As long as I'm around to see it, I can truly find joy in something about each day.

Q. What advice would you give to someone who is newly diagnosed with breast cancer?

A. Don't be too proud, too strong or too independent to ask for help. Talk to other breast cancer survivors. Sharing information can take away some of the fear of the unknown. Because of my on-air position, my cancer fight was a public one with stories on my television station, as well as the local newspaper. I heard from hundreds of people offering their support, including many breast cancer and other cancer survivors. I drew strength from each card, letter, e-mail and phone call.

Q. How has The Breast Cancer Research Foundation been helpful to you?

A. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation was an amazing source of information for me. It was so important for me to gather as much information as I could. And it was a tremendous help to have so much information organized in an easy way for me to find it. It was also so uplifting to read about how hard the Foundation is working to find a cure!