When diagnosed with breast cancer, it feels as if, for the first time, your life has acquired an expiration date. Blurry and unreadable, still it is there, stamped on your consciousness. The surgeon is telling you what he needs to take away, the plastic surgeon is telling you what he can give you back. The oncologist is telling you about treatments and survival statistics. The radiologist is telling you about treatment and survival statistics. The counselor is there if you want to talk.

Statistics are good but limited in what they can predict with accuracy. What works beyond statistics? Why does a woman diagnosed with breast cancer -- who statistically fits into the group of women predicted to be surviving breast cancer ten years later -- does not make it that long; and the woman diagnosed with breast cancer -- who statistically fits into the group of women who have perhaps a year or less to live -- is still surviving breast cancer ten years later. Some of the answers might be found woven within the real experiences and stories breast cancer survivors have to tell.

Breast cancer survivors have stories to tell about their experiences, what they tried, what worked, what they are doing, what they did to create a quality of life, what they learned, the wisdom gleaned. Three breast cancer survivors work here at the Cancer Blog. Jacki Donaldson, Kristina Collins and myself. During October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we want to bring you the voices of breast cancer survivors. What they did, the advice they have, the hope they represent. We will be featuring breast cancer survivor interviews throughout the month in Survivor Spotlight.

While we are currently interviewing breast cancer survivors, we do not want to leave any one out who would like to share their experience, strength and hope. If you are a breast cancer survivor who would like to be interviewed, please contact us through the Cancer Blog Tips form and we will be in touch shortly.