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:: Top Stories    Saturday, November 21, 2009

Speakers Focus on Breast Cancer Issues
[Monday, October 19, 2009]


Sandy Ann Padilla, a TSTC student, spoke about her experiences coping with breast cancer at the LRC on October 16.Two speakers emotionally shared their intimate stories about breast cancer on National Mammography Day.

About 50 women gathered in the LRC Orientation Room on October 16 heard Abby Vela, health awareness director for the Women’s Clinic of South Texas and independent health consultant, and Sandy Ann Padilla, a TSTC student majoring in Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Technology, urge them to perform monthly self-examinations and consult physicians at the first sign of an abnormality.

Vela revealed that she discovered a lump on one of her breasts during the past week. She had a mammogram October 15, the day before the program. Padilla underwent a double mastectomy and recently had a hysterectomy because cancer cells were found in her ovaries and uterus.

Vela said that every woman should step up as a leader to educate more women about breast cancer and help breast cancer patients. “Be a voice, empower each other, learn and disseminate knowledge. We must not let fear or arrogance hold us back because knowledge leads to answers,” she said. “When we find out someone has cancer, we should speak to them and get closer to them.”

She cited research that shows 81 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer live beyond the age of 70.

Padilla said that she became the first woman in her family diagnosed with breast cancer. The personnel at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston are very caring and compassionate toward patients, she said. She received the breast cancer diagnosis on June 21, 2007.

“I went through the ‘Why me?’ phases, but I know that cancer does not have any age limits. You never know when you’re going to get it,” she said. “I realize that God is with me and that he has given me a mission to help others understand the disease.”

The hysterectomy a few weeks ago forced her to withdraw from TSTC for fall semester; she hopes to return to classes in the spring semester. “Every battle that we fight leaves a scar, but each scar I have on my body makes me a stronger woman. I will win the war against cancer.”

Vela is a public speaker and consultant with Universal Connections … Linking People Together. The Web site is www.uc-linkingpeopletogether.com. Padilla also is willing to speak with individuals or groups. Her phone number is 956.970.5451 and her e-mail address is sandyann33@yahoo.com. For more information about cancer, the Web site for the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center is www.mdanderson.org.