Healthcare professional parlays her breast cancer experience into support for research

PHILADELPHIA -- A breast cancer diagnosis is often life-changing. For a long-time healthcare professional, it not only challenged her perceptions of the disease, but also opened up new opportunities.

Now, Cecilia Chang is helping others in Beating the Odds of Breast Cancer.

Cecilia never thought she would get breast cancer.

"As far as I knew, Asians had a low percentage of risk," she said.

So after her diagnosis, Cecilia was shocked to learn that rates for all ethnicities are roughly the same.

Being a patient was another jolt for the former nurse. Her years as a professional slipped away with the words, "You have cancer."

"You kind of forget, you have choices, and you can ask questions, because you're so scared from that one diagnosis," she said.

Coming out of treatment, Cecilia dove back into daily life, but soon realized she couldn't walk away from the experience.

Her science background led her to the American Cancer Society's ResearcHERS campaign for women doing cancer research.

"We support women-led cancer teams through funding. We support parental leave for those in post-doctoral fellowships and might not have a traditional leave system," said Megan Kutzner, a senior development manager with the American Cancer Society's Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey unit.

"I don't feel that they get acknowledged as much as the men do," said Cecilia.

Megan ads, "Women bring a unique perspective. They often have new ideas. They may be focusing on cancers which affect women, such as breast cancer or ovarian cancer."

Cecilia is also volunteer chair for the ACS Men Wear Pink campaign, encouraging men to raise funds and awareness for everyone who gets breast cancer.

"It gives men the opportunity to be part of something that maybe they didn't know how to be part of," she said.

Although normally a private person, Cecilia now speaks out about her experience, hoping to motivate more women to get screened.

"If I can share my story, so another woman just thinks about it, and goes to get their mammogram then I feel that's taken my adversity and helped one other person," she says.

As a single mom, Cecilia also shares insights on how she helped her then-10-year-old son navigate cancer in the family. She says her pediatrician's advice was helpful.

"The guidance was (that) the children are going to feed upon how you react," she said. "I was just very honest with him, like, I'm going through health care issues, and I'm going to have a surgery, and I'm going to be laid up for a little while, we're a little bit concerned, but the doctors are going to take care of us.

"My son is the one that said, 'What's going on? Do you have cancer?' when I came back from the doctor's appointment," she remembers. "Children are so smart, they know."

She says it's important to acknowledge to children that they are part of the experience, too.

Hundreds of breast cancer survivors like Cecilia will be at Jack Curtis Stadium in Pennsauken on Sunday, October 15 for the Cancer Society's 25th annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. It begins at 8:30 a. m. and participants can register through Sunday morning.

For more information on the walk or to register, CLICK HERE.