ST. LOUIS, MO (KMOV ) — Jill Strittmatter and Jodi Browell share a lot in common as sisters.
Something they wish wasn’t on that list is breast cancer.
“I called the doctor back and she said, ‘You have cancer.’ My heart dropped. It was a very emotional day,” Browell said.
That was back in 2011 when she was pregnant with her first child.
She was safely able to do chemotherapy while pregnant and delivered a healthy baby girl. Then she had a double mastectomy three weeks later.
Her sister Jill was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.
“Even though my sister had it, my mom had it twice, I was still shocked,” Stirrmatter said. “You don’t expect it to happen to you.”
Strittmatter also underwent chemotherapy and had a double mastectomy this past November.
While Jill turned to her sister for help, she had a slightly different breast cancer, so she also relied heavily on the American Cancer Society; especially its detailed website.
“All of the terms they throw at you, treatment options, medicines, things you learn the first few weeks, you can look that up,” she said. “I’m grateful for that.”
The sisters also took advantage of the organization’s 24-hour hotline to answer questions and its patient navigation kit, to name a few things.
And for for Jodi, the organization provided research; specifically on tamoxifen, a drug that helps reduce recurrence.
“I’m on that and will be for 10 years,” Browell said. “Thank God these kinds of things are available all because of research the American Cancer Society does.”
The sisters are so grateful for the group they’ve formed a fundraising group called the J-Walkers: Making strides against breast cancer.
By the end of this year, their goal is to raise a total of $100,000 for the American Cancer Society.
If you would like to donate to the organization, their website is cancer.org.
The American Cancer Society’s website is constantly updated.
For example, right now it includes COVID-19 information for both cancer patients and caregivers.
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.