Karen Webster

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

A. I am an energetic and enthusiastic wife, mother (to a dog) and business professional who tries to pack as much into each day as I can. I am the Founder and President of a marketing and management consulting firm that helps some of the best companies in the world enter new markets, reach new customers and/or launch new products. I am always on the go...traveling frequently for business - not as much for pleasure as I would like - but am working on that! And, I am devoted to improving the research environment for women's cancer, breast cancer in particular. Perhaps my most important and fulfilling work is that which involves raising the profile of important new research endeavors for women's cancers and to developing programs that foster the confidence and opportunity for tomorrow's women's professionals.

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

A. Then and now, I pride myself on being conscientious about my health and fitness. I am and was physically active; most days running 3 miles (rain or shine). I had regular checkups, including mammograms. I watched my diet, and did not consider myself to be at risk for developing the disease. I found my lump while showering one evening, on the eve of a 2 week business trip and postponed my trip to have it checked. My instincts told me that something was amiss, even though I had just completed a mammogram less than 4 months prior and had a thorough physical exam just 4 weeks before. I am glad that I trusted my instincts and had it evaluated, rather than putting it off for weeks or months.

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

A. Well, as most women will tell you, hearing the words "breast cancer" is a horrifying experience. For me, that moment was surreal and looking back, almost something that is now hard to recollect in any great detail. As all women I suppose, I was at first disbelieving - the initial reaction was why me? That feeling turned to anger which quickly faded to a steely resolve to overcome it. As debilitating, was the feeling that in an instant, upon hearing those words, I had lost control of my life. And, as someone who was fiercely independent and often stubbornly reluctant to ask for help, getting through cancer I thought would mean giving up control of my life to a team of doctors that I had never met, and an institution I knew nothing about. I felt that the toughest assignment that I would ever face as a woman and as professional would be overcoming the disease that at that moment became the center of my world.

What I wanted as much as getting better, was to feel in control, to feel as though I was an active participant in decisions related to my course of treatment, even the team I would have to help me through it. I embarked upon a relentless pursuit of knowledge about breast cancer doctors - and selected a team that was not only the top of their field but who listened to my fears and crafted a course of treatment that helped me get well, and maintain my quality of life throughout. What also helped was my desire to keep to my normal schedule as much as I possibly could. For example, I had my surgery on a Friday and was back to work on Monday. I maintained a travel schedule around my chemo and radiation treatments. I would even take my laptop to the chemo lab and work; not so much as a way to keep up with my workload, but as a way to distract me from what was really happening on those days.

My inner strength came from the tremendous confidence that I had in my doctors and from meeting so many survivors. When it suddenly hits home that survival is no longer yours to take for granted - knowing that there are lots of survivors is inspirational. We all know that it's human nature to want to be a winner. And, in the battle against breast cancer, winning means survival. I found that, as scary as the experience was for me, it was the notion that I could and would be a survivor that was very comforting - and it gave me a goal to which I could aspire.

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

A. In many ways, I view my life since my cancer as my second chance at life. As I was going through my cancer experience, it was the idea of survival that allowed me to open the door to wonderful new opportunities - the chance to channel the courage that I never knew I had into exciting new aspects of my life. In many ways, it's really the closest thing that I or anyone will ever have to a second chance - and believe me - you make a conscious decision not to miss out or mess up!

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

A. As many survivors and doctors will tell you, their initial advice to women is to focus on the future - one year out then five years out - something that is very hard to do for all of the obvious reasons. It was for me at first, especially in the very early days when there were so many unknowns. But, it's amazing what looks easy now after surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, a hysterectomy and menopause all packed into one year! Perspective is indeed a wonderful thing! My advice is to consider the journey through diagnosis and treatment as an investment in the rest of your life - and an opportunity to experience life in new and profound ways as a survivor. As cliché as this may sound, life is simply delicious when you live each day to its fullest. As a cancer survivor, you do.

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

A. The BCRF invests in the research that gives women with breast cancer options...and through those options survivors are created. With their support, programs that create important breakthroughs in the prevention and cure of breast cancer have expanded the universe of survivors. This gives both patients and their families hope for the future. Support of these programs means survival for those who may not otherwise have had that chance - and survival is the only gift that truly keeps on giving. Breast cancer struck my mother less than two years after my diagnosis. In a letter that she wrote to me several weeks after her diagnosis, she remarked that it was my survival that gave her the courage to confront her fear and seek treatment. Thanks to the researchers and scientists who work every day to find new ways to conquer this disease, I was able to give my Mom that most precious gift - without knowing that I had done anything at all. That's the power of research. That's the power of survival.