Kara Dawson is a breast cancer survivor. She has not been diagnosed herself -- although the fear of diagnosis is her constant companion. She instead lived as a child with the disease her mother battled. And she now lives in the aftermath of breast cancer following the death of her mom.

Kara was just 12 years old when her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer -- the disease that would take her life just a few years later. For 22 years, Kara has been surviving the loss of her mom. For 22 years, Kara has been surviving breast cancer.

Now 37 years old, Kara has become a busy mom herself. She shares her world with two wonderful sons -- ages five and three -- and an amazing husband, a Great Dane, a love of athletics and the out-of-doors, and a career as a professor at the University of Florida.

Kara is a woman of great strength, courage, faith, and inspiration. She has helped power me through my own breast cancer journey -- and I believe her own personal brush with the disease is what makes her such a supportive, attentive, encouraging friend. She helps me fight for my life -- as she fights the curse of family history for her own life.