breast cancer awareness month.
I realize we are over-loaded daily with medical information of all kinds; but I think it's the story of personal battles that helps bring attention to this disease.

Did you know more than 4-thousand women--- in our state alone--- will be told they have breast cancer this year?
Of that number; 700+ will not live through the treatment process.

My Mom is one personal battle story of beating the statistics.
Some of you are mentioning you heard me talk about my Mom during Saturday night's newscast.
I brought up her cancer fight in conjunction with an awareness walk-run that's been happening every fall; for the past 13-years, in the Green Bay area.
It's now bigger news because Deanna Favre, Brett's wife, is a supporter of the event.
But the walk-run started after my Mom's diagnosis all those years ago---
and because I didn't know what else to do to help her during the recovery process.

I decided to volunteer with that area's chapter of the American Cancer Society.
They then supported me in my effort to honor her recovery by creating an awareness walk-run.
We had 500 people come out that first year.
It's now more than 2000 and we are proud of how its grown.

My Mom and I both ended up moving on from the walk-run a few years ago----
I left the area for other job opportunities;
and she started talking directly with those in need of support.
She'd already heard it all: "..we can wait; it's nothing" to "..you'll be lucky to live 6-months."
So she knows the importance of talking about it.

So do I.
And it's why I'm getting involved with the Cancer Society here.
I'm also working on continuing to tell the personal battle story of others.
It's what makes us realize the attention needs to continue because the fight isn't over.

Teri Barr
tbarr@wisctv.com

Here's to some of the other brave women who've let me in on their own battles----
Nancy Felhofer, Mary Jo Scanlan, Robin Schumacher, Joan Maryniak, Mrs. Pasch,
Mrs. Peterson and Ruth Boettcher.
Your strength will never be forgotten!