Debbie Cantwell walked into her doctors office in 2007 for a routine mammogram and walked out a breast cancer patient.
A Bellevue mother of two, Cantwell underwent a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction, eight rounds of chemotherapy and 37 treatments of radiation.
What happened next was nothing short of amazing, according to Cantwell.
Over the course of her treatment, she was greeted with warm meals, help with childcare, and good wishes from thoughtful friends and family members.
“Sometimes it takes being sick to realize who your true friends are,” she explained. “I quickly realized just how lucky I was to have a wonderful husband, parents, and so many selfless friends who went out of their way to lend a hand. I’m truly blessed.”
Cantwell’s experience caused her to wonder about all the young women who are diagnosed with breast cancer who may not have the strong support system she had.
“Women are being diagnosed younger and younger these days and many are single mothers with careers that they just can’t afford to put on hold because they’re sick,” she said. “I can’t imagine how difficult it would have been if I had to go through the whole process alone.”
Cantwell decided to reach out to young women all over the country who were fighting the breast cancer battle alone. She launched The Breast Cancer Sisterhood, a national organization whose mission is to provide comfort and practical, everyday help to young women under 40 facing breast cancer treatment. The non-profit provides grocery gift cards, meal deliveries, home cleaning services, childcare and transportation for women all over the country.
“There’s many organizations like Susan G. Komen who do wonderful work to raise money for cancer research. I wanted to do what I could today to help those who may not have tomorrow,” she explained.
Cantwell is now cancer free and has dedicated her life to building a community of support for young women battling breast cancer treatment.
“I know I can never pay back all the kindness my friends and family showed me when I needed them most,” she said. “Since I can’t pay it back, I have decided to pay it forward.”
Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425.453.4602.
To give a donation to The Breast Cancer Sisterhood or to learn more, visit www.breastcancersisterhood.com.
