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What does the Energizer Bunny Hall of Fame, L\u2019Oreal Woman of Worth, CNN Heroes, and Yoplait Champions have in common?<\/p>\n

Andrea Ivory!<\/p>\n

You may not know Andrea Ivory, but over 10,000 people each year are helped because she had a dream.<\/p>\n

But before she had a dream, she had a frightening health diagnosis \u2013 breast cancer.<\/p>\n

<\/a>The year was 2004, and she was going to a Bible Study, trying to learn what her purpose in life was. They were studying the best-seller, The Purpose Driven Life,<\/em> by Rick Warren. She went to the doctor for her normal exam thinking that everything was fine.<\/p>\n

But everything wasn\u2019t fine. Her mammogram revealed that she had breast cancer. \u201cIt\u2019s not the kind of news you ever expect happening to yourself<\/strong> even though I know that breast cancer does not discriminate. One in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though her husband, Willie, knew he needed to be strong for Andrea, he was devastated. But she surprised him with her strength. She told him, \u201cWe believe the Word of God, and it\u2019s time to put shoe leather to our faith.\u201d (If they were going talk the talk, they were going to walk the talk!)<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I had early detection,\u201d explains Andrea, \u201cI had choices of treatment.\u201d She went on to say, \u201cThe later the diagnosis, the fewer choices you have, and the greater the chance of dying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Besides getting a second opinion, Andrea focused all her efforts on learning everything she could about the treatment for breast cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile going through the treatments, I wondered how other women could afford health care. I had a wonderful husband who supported and helped me. But not every woman is so fortunate. That is when a dream dropped into my mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wrote down the dream. It became what is known today as the Women\u2019s Breast Health Initiative.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

So by 2006 they began to put shoe leather to the pavement. Volunteers were organized to go door-to-door and alert the women to the benefits of early breast cancer detection.<\/p>\n

While Andrea was praying and following the doctor\u2019s treatment and getting better, she kept working, making the Women\u2019s Breast Health Initiative (WBHI) what it is today.<\/p>\n

Currently, WBHI\u2019s growing group of volunteers visits 10,000 homes every year. Many women have been educated and helped, but Jewell is especially glad they knocked on her door.<\/p>\n

Jewell wasn\u2019t yet 40, the age when women should have their first baseline mammogram. She told WBHI volunteers, \u201cI feel something.\u201d That\u2019s all they needed to hear. Quickly they arranged for a mammogram. The result came back that Jewell had Stage 2 cancer.<\/p>\n

But the good news is that because the WBHI volunteers got her help in time, Jewell is alive and cancer free today.<\/p>\n

Since writing her dream down and putting shoe leather on the pavement, Andrea Ivory\u2019s dream has gained national attention. Look for her story on YouTube and CNN\u2019s Anderson Cooper\u2019s 360 (http:\/\/ac360.blogs.cnn.com\/2009\/10\/14\/andrea-ivory-how-early-detection-saved-my-life\/<\/a>). Most recently she was honored by the Congressional Record, 111th Congress.<\/p>\n

Andrea\u2019s trust in our faithful God, a wonderful husband, and a strong will to overcome helped her face and conquer the giant of breast cancer. She hopes you will take care of your health and join her in thinking Pink!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Continued at Early Breast Detection – What you Don’t Know CAN Hurt You<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What does the Energizer Bunny Hall of Fame, L\u2019Oreal Woman of Worth, CNN Heroes, and Yoplait Champions have in common? Andrea Ivory! You may not know Andrea Ivory, but over 10,000 people each year are helped because she had a dream. But before she had a dream, she had a frightening health diagnosis \u2013 breast…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4309,"featured_media":7225,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"article-single-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[405,459,494],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-beauty-and-fitness","category-physical-health"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n