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Health & Fitness

Always good about my yearly mammogram

Ellie Davis, Beachwood resident and breast cancer survivor, shares her story and her support of the Cleveland Race for the Cure on Saturday, September 15th.

Ellie Davis a 65-year-old married grandmother and a lobular breast cancer survivor from Beachwood.

Having had two previous benign tumors in the past, Ellie Davis has always been good about going for her yearly mammogram.  In the spring of 2005, Davis was called following her mammogram to come in for additional testing.  “Not unusual in my experience, but I had a different feeling this time,” Davis describes how she felt after the phone call.  Following several tests and a biopsy, Davis was told she had breast cancer and scheduled a mastectomy and reconstruction.

Lobular cancer only occurs in about 10% of breast cancers and is very difficult to diagnosis.  If not for the advances in diagnosing and treatments for breast cancer funded by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Davis believes she might not have had such a positive outcome. 

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Only 3 months after surgery, Davis participated in her first Race for the Cure® event surrounded by family and friends.  Davis and her family, including daughter, Michelle, and granddaughters, Shai and Iizzy, pictured above have participated in the Cleveland Race for the Cure event ever since.  In fact, she has also participated as a virtual participant in the Israel Race for the Cure.

The Northeast Ohio Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® will hold its 19th annual Cleveland Race for the Cure on Saturday, September 15, 2012, in partnership with University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and locally presented by Giant Eagle. The event will be held in Downtown Cleveland at the Wolstein Center.

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Audra Avarello, the 2012 Cleveland Race Chair, has been involved with Komen for the past 15 years and is a two-time Race Chair. “The 2012 Race reinforces the story of celebration that Komen brings to the cause,” explains Avarello. “We are here to celebrate the lives of survivors, the progress we are making toward finding a cure and the hope that our victory comes sooner rather than later.”

The Cleveland Race will be the second Race in the Northeast Ohio area this year. In July, the inaugural Akron Race for the Cure was held celebrating the promise to end breast cancer. Up to 75% of the funds raised at Race for the Cure events stay in Northeast Ohio to help those most in need of breast health services in the community. In 2012, Komen Northeast Ohio granted $1.1 million to 17 organizations in Northeast Ohio. Thousands of women and men across Komen Northeast Ohio’s 22-county service area will receive life-saving screenings, breast cancer education, outreach, and survivor support services.

Every step we take is a step closer to a cure. Join Davis and thousands of others in the fight against breast cancer by visiting www.komenneohio.org to to register for the Race for the Cure.

You can help now by making a $10 donation to Komen Northeast Ohio by texting KOMEN to 50555. Your $10 donation will help fund live saving services right here in our community.

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