From a 25-year-old student to a long-time breast cancer activist, four valiant Valley breast cancer survivors share their stories of strength and struggles as well as their hopes for the future.
“Life is short and we have to embrace everything about life, whether it is
a positive or negative, because you don’t know what will come from it.”
Lucia Schnitzer
When Lucia Schnitzer’s first child was 6 months old and nursing, the new mom experienced discomfort in her breast, assuming it was a clogged milk duct. At the urging of her husband, Ken, she visited her doctor and, on May 26, 2005 at age 34, she was diagnosed with Stage 2 Level 3 breast cancer. (Her sister-in-law—who had also recently had a baby—had been diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer five months earlier. She is also a survivor.)
“It was very scary having a baby and being a new mother and not knowing if you are going to be here long enough to see your baby grow up,” Schnitzer says. “I just remember being upset. I am a good person, a healthy person—why is this happening to me? I realized that, wait a minute, we are all given challenges in life—health or financial, I could name a long list of challenges. I realized that this is my challenge. I am a religious woman. I said, ‘God, you picked me for whatever reason to carry this and own this, so I am going to be graceful about it and do whatever I need to do to take this to where I need to take this.’ And I did. Instead of being angry, I embraced it. When I made that mental change, it made it easier to deal with it. At the end of the day, it has made me a strong woman, a wiser woman.”
After six months of treatment, including a lumpectomy, eight rounds of chemo and radiation, Schnitzer was cancer-free. As a result of her diagnosis, the now-mom-of-three (with a fourth child due this fall) changed the types of foods she put in her body, prompting her and Ken to launch a Phoenix market where Valley dwellers can enjoy delicious, yet healthful, foods. In 2009, Luci’s Healthy Marketplace opened its doors. Not only can locals satisfy their health-food cravings, but Schnitzer also has an open-door policy when it comes to patrons dealing with a cancer diagnosis.
Apart from the literal pitter-patter of little feet, Schnitzer is also working on the arrival of her other “baby”: a cookbook “for busy mommies and daddies who are having a hard time finding the time and resources for healthy meals. I want to give them the confidence that they can provide fantastic, healthy meals.” The book is slated for completion in 2013.
