“I never know if I am closer to life or death. I need to celebrate life.” Stephanie Robin.
Stephanie Robin, a breast cancer survivor and mother of two children took her battle with cancer and turned it into an educational tool and support group for women and men who are affected by cancer.
Researches show that a woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. About 20-30% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history of breast cancer.
Like her mother, Robin was diagnosed with breast cancer and has the abnormal BRCA gene (Breast Cancer genes). The BRCA genes keep breast cells growing normally and help to prevent any cancer cell growth. She urges women to get genetic testing to understand their level of risks.
Robin, through her struggles with breast cancer since 2004, co-founded Think Pink Rocks. The Boca Raton based organization focuses on early detection of breast cancer and awareness of the BRCA gene for breast and ovarian cancer.
For the past three years, Stephanie and her friends have been organizing luncheons and the Think Pink Rocks concert to raise funds for her cause. The concert is a star-studded event with entertainers such as Akon, Ray Jay, Queen Latifah among others. Through these events, she is celebrating life and helping to save the lives of many.
Robin is more educated about her disease and is determined to save her life and the lives of others. Here she shares her life-changing experience and her will to stay alive.
_Daedrian McNaughton
Stephanie Robin: I was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer and two (2) years later the cancer metastasized to my lungs. After 14 months on the new treatment, the cancer again returned to my lungs. I am currently undergoing treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York. I am treated there bi-monthly, and the tumors in my lungs have decreased in size by over 90%.
PGM: That is an incredible amount of burden for one person.
Stephanie Robin: I think that attitude is everything, I could lay in bed and feel sorry for myself, but I choose to be physical. My goal is to be around to raise my children. My children were 2 and 4 when I was first diagnosed. I said, no way I am going to let my children lose their mother. I workout constantly to stay in shape emotionally and physically. I fight everyday to keep a strong and positive attitude. My mission is to raise money for breast cancer awareness and to make sure that everybody out there knows about their family history; a breast cancer gene called BRCA gene, and how important it is to have self exams and to be your own health advocate. You just have to fight, I fight every single day to make sure I save my life, and other lives as well.
PGM: Your mom was diagnosed twice with breast cancer. Did she undergo genetic testing?
Stephanie Robin: My mom was diagnosed twice and nobody told her that there was a gene. Had they told her that she actually had the genes, I would have tested for the genes. As a result I would have been screened four times a year instead of once a year. The cancer would have never gotten the chance to grow to 5 centimeters, let alone travel to a lymph node which is how it has gotten into my blood system and eventually started growing in my lungs. I would have been screened way ahead of time.
PGM: Has your daughter been tested for the BRCA gene?
Stephanie Robin: I have been told she is still too young. They feel that by the time she is old enough to be tested, there could be possibly a cure or a preventative medicine that could save her life, instead of spending the next 10 years of my life worrying that she has the genes. My doctor said there is no reason to find that information out right now.
PGM: What kept you going?
Stephanie Robin: Positive attitude is very important. You can lay in bed and feel sorry for yourself or you can get up and fight. I fight for my kids everyday of my life. That is the most important thing to me. Exercise transforms me into a stronger person physically and emotionally. My friends, community, and pre-school were behind me 100%. Communities, friends, and support groups are so incredible and important.
PGM: Tell us about Think Pink Rocks.
Stephanie Robin: The Think Pink Rocks event started as a luncheon then we decided after the cancer returned in my lungs, we needed to celebrate life. We needed to reach more people not just a few hundred people at a luncheon. There were so many luncheons for breast cancer that we felt we needed to expand, hence the Think Pink Rocks concert.
For more information on Think Pink Rocks and Stephanie Robin, visit www.thinkpinkrocks.com.