According to BreastCancer.org, about one in eight women will develop breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Aggies are wearing pink in support of those who have been impacted by the disease. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a time to celebrate men and women who have endured the fight against breast cancer. Supporters spread awareness of breast cancer; celebrate the lives claimed by breast cancer, and advocate for women’s yearly breast cancer screenings.

Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts in the cells of the breast. A malignant tumor is a group of cancer cells that grow into, or invade, surrounding tissue or spread to other areas of the body. The disease occurs almost entirely in women, but can affect men as well.

BreastCancer.org reports that about 40,000 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2014 from breast cancer. However, people diagnosed with stage 0, I or II breast cancer tend to have higher overall survival rates than people diagnosed with stage III or IV breast cancer. Overall survival rates vary depending on each person’s diagnosis, according to Susan G. Komen.

Kelsie Bernot, an assistant professor in the biology department at N.C. A&T is a survivor of breast cancer. She has been cancer-free for about five years. When Bernot initially discovered a lump in her breast, she was not concerned. After two weeks, the lump had not disappeared; so she scheduled an appointment with her OBGYN.

“I fully expected him to say ‘Oh, it’s just a cyst. It’s not a big deal,” Bernot said.

When the doctor advised her to get a mammogram, she grew anxious.

“This gradually stepped up my level of concern,” she said.

After taking a biopsy following her mammogram, she learned of her breast cancer diagnosis in February of 2008. At 33, it came as a shock.

“When I hung up the phone with the radiologist, I was practicing the words in my head, ‘I have cancer, I have cancer,” she said.

“It was such a surreal thing. I didn’t cry. I wasn’t upset. Actually, I was giggling ridiculously because sometimes you react to shocking news in weird ways and my way was laughing. I’d rather laugh than cry,” Bernot said.

After her diagnosis, Bernot realized that getting educated about breast cancer was important.

“It was a whirlwind,” she said. “I’m a scientist and still I had so much learning to do about breast cancer. Once it becomes personal, it’s so different. It was like studying for the hardest exam of my life.”

Growing up Bernot was very athletic. After learning of her diagnosis, she was prepared for a physical fight.

“I was really fortunate that I had a really great support system and I am naturally just a really optimistic person to begin with,” said Bernot.

“For me, I was kind of excited to have something to fight for. I felt like I was preparing for a race. It was just crazy, but at the same time, it was my life. You deal with what comes to you. You don’t really have an option to deal with it. You just have to step up and get it done.”

Fortunately, Bernot’s cancer was contained only in one breast. She got a mastectomy and immediate reconstruction, along with six rounds of chemotherapy every three weeks. Bernot was able to use her bad experience for good.

“I didn’t mind losing my hair. That was actually kind of fun,” she said. “One of my guy friends said he would shave his head with me in solidarity. He let me shave his head first and he and my husband shaved mine and we gave ourselves mohawks on the way. It was just really fun and I felt so free.”

Bernot’s husband contributed in every way possible.

“My husband was amazing,” she said. “He did so much stuff for me. I got to do anything I wanted to do. He did all the housework, he did all the cleaning, and he got food for us. I actually think it’s harder on the caregivers than it is on the person going through. That’s not true for everyone.”

Cancer played a huge role in Bernot’s life, especially at such a young age.

“It sounds so cliché that cancer changes your life and I thought about that before it happened,” Bernot said. “But it does, you can’t help it. Every single day I think about the fact that I had breast cancer. Its part of me and who I am now. It’s changed my life for the better because of the opportunities I got, because of the people I met, because of that experience.”

For many women with breast cancer, treatment may remove or cure the cancer. Completing treatment can be both stressful and exciting. Patients may be relieved to finish treatment, but find it hard not to worry about cancer coming back. Recurrence is a very common concern in people who have had cancer.

“It stays with you forever. There’s always a chance that it can come back,” Bernot said.

A woman’s risk of breast cancer doubles if she has a first-degree relative, mother, sister, or daughter, who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. About 15% of women who get breast cancer have a family member diagnosed with it.

Several of Bernot’s aunts and great aunts had breast cancer, but she tested negative for the gene on both her mother and father’s side.

Bernot’s most significant gain from her breast cancer experience was being driven to follow her passion. She is very clear in what she learned and how she was impacted from the experience.

“You have to be open to opportunities that you might not expect,” she said. “You have to be ready to jump through that door when it opens. There are a lot of times when challenges are going to hit you and you just have to learn to get over them. I learned that you have to find a way to get stuff done. If you are passionate enough about something you are willing to find whatever way it needs to get there.”

Bernot enjoys telling her story to inspire and uplift others in order to make a difference.

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• Mija Gary Register Reporter