Health & Fitness
Newtown Breast Cancer Survivor Featured in Komen Connecticut Race for the Cure: says keeping it local is important
Maria Barreto had always been painfully aware of breast cancer as she has several friends who are survivors, but she says a diagnosis changes everything. Barreto discovered she had breast cancer during a routine mammogram. On November 9, 2012, after a biopsy had been performed, breast cancer was confirmed.
Immediately after Barreto’s diagnosis she became more attuned to health news and was proactive regarding her treatment, as well as her overall health. Now that Barreto is a survivor she is doing “more.” She says, “I am moving more, making more healthy food choices, breathing more deeply, telling my family I love them more often.”
She looks back on the past year and remembers all the incredible people she has met along her journey. Especially, the smart and compassionate health care professionals and caregivers. She says there is not a dollar figure that can amount to what they have done for her.
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“I believe in being there for my neighbors, in keeping it local,” says Barreto. “And from experience I know that early detection and patient navigation are critical to this fight as well as the funding to provide services.”
Seventy-five percent of Komen Connecticut’s net proceeds support local breast health programs across Connecticut and the remaining 25 percent is invested in research to find the causes and cures for the disease. Over the past four years, Komen Connecticut has granted approximately $4 million to local organizations providing lifesaving services for women in need across our state, including St. Vincent’s Hospital, CancerCare in Norwalk, Bridgeport Hospital, Norwalk Hospital and Stamford Hospital.
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“I didn’t want to be in this club, but like it or not, I am,” Barreto says. “The silver lining however, I have sisters I never knew I had.”
Get involved, like Maria, by supporting the Fairfield County Race for the Cure on May 10, 2014 at Veteran’s Park in Norwalk! For additional information and to register, visit KomenCT.org or call 860-321-7806.
