Co-chair of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Broward shares survival story ahead of annual walks

Ahead of this weekend s major initiative to fight breast cancer a South Florida survivor opened up about her battle against the infection as she and thousands of people get ready to walk with a purpose The annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk returns Saturday at loanDepot Park and Amerant Bank Arena This year s goal is to raise million to patronage the fight to end breast cancer Last year hundreds of participants woke up bright and early to hit the pavement for a good cause Casey Liening co-chair of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Broward County is a breast cancer survivor herself She demanded to share her story In she was diagnosed with metastatic cancer Stage that spread outside of her breast But she mentioned her journey definitely started two years before that I revealed a lump in the shower I brought it to my healthcare provider s attention and for almost two years I was dismissed she announced I was notified I was too young for cancer it was nothing to be concerned about it was presumably hormonal Liening noted she had to find multiple doctors and other solutions to get the scans and tests she needed By the time we caught it it had spread so that means I ll be in restoration forever she disclosed Stage breast cancer is not a death sentence but it is also not curable at this point What pushed Liening to get involved was her mother who was also diagnosed with breast cancer when Liening was in high school That s when I determined my passion for advocacy and wanting to make a difference when it comes to breast cancer specifically she reported With my mom seeing her go through her journey with multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation she really fought hard She s in remission Liening s battle sparked her passion to advocate for others She started in high school and hasn t stopped It s bittersweet to see it come full circle now with my own journey facing metastatic breast cancer but I think that s only ignited a bigger fire in me to spread the word to raise awareness and to encourage people to donate to fundraise to help us potentially find a cure to breast cancer she commented Dr Omar Rashid a cancer surgeon and previous chair of the American Cancer Society s Board of Directors declared there s been good progress toward helping those with breast cancer There s a lot of hope for women with breast cancer We ve made huge strides against breast cancer over the last several decades Death rates are down survival continues to increase he disclosed Early detection continues to be critical as it remains essential to know what the risks of breast cancer are and that multiple patients are afraid to talk about cancer I think if people realize that they feel empowered that guess what this is not a death sentence this is not the end of quality of life this is something that s treatable curable then they will hopefully take ownership of their wellbeing and want to know What s my strategy How do I prevent my cancer How do I catch it early And if I got to deal with it lets deal with it ' noted Rashid News is a proud supporter of the American Cancer Society Weather meteorologist Vivian Gonzalez will be at the Broward County walk at Amerant Bank Arena In current times in Florida anchors Alex de Armas and Tavares Jones will be at the Miami walk at loanDepot Park The scheme starts at a m and the walks starts at a m