Putting Cancer In My Past

One cancer survivor looks back on how a breast cancer diagnosis divided her life into a before and after, and looks ahead to what comes next. 

BY Kathy Latour

PUBLISHED February 03, 2020

Kathy LaTour is a breast cancer survivor, author of The Breast Cancer Companion and co-founder of CURE magazine. While cancer did not take her life, she has given it willingly to educate, empower and enlighten the newly diagnosed and those who care for them.

My diagnosis of breast cancer at age 37 divided my life into a before and after. In the years that followed, when I recalled something, it was placed in my life timeline as either before or after cancer. Thinking about mortality when we are supposed to be focused on babies, family and goals changes the way we remember things.

I think my life was impacted perhaps more significantly than some because I was one of the women who chose to stay involved in breast cancer. Not only as an advocate and volunteer in the nonprofit world of organizations serving women, but also professionally as a writer to help educate and empower women and men about breast cancer. My support group started a nonprofit to serve uninsured and underinsured women, and I began interviewing women, men and medical professionals for a book that came out in the early ‘90s.

I even got used to saying that cancer did not take my life, I gave it willingly to help educate and empower women and men.

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