I have been a battered wife, a single mother, a full-time graduate student and full-time technician. I divorced the batterer, graduated with a Ph.D in Biology from NYU, and raised a beautiful daughter. I have been blessed with my best friend becoming my new husband. The same year we were married my Father-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer. I researched docotors and facilities and found a doctor at NYU who preformed a mastectomy and preserved the life of my Father-in-law. My husband and I then wanted to have a child together but, we could not. After many unsuccessful fertility treatments we decided on an egg donor. To prepare I decided to have very extensive testing to ensure a healthy pregnancy. I got as far as the mammogram. I was diagnosed with breast cancer. What a shock I had absolutely no symptoms. So now that same doctor at NYU became my doctor. I had a mastectomy with TRAM Flap reconstuction of the left breast. Shortly there after my mother broke her left hip which was repaired and then broke the right hip which was not repaired. Later she was diagnosed with dementia. I now became her sole caregiver. I moved into her house with her and my husband sees us on weekends. I began a career as a Health Coach. Then after 5 years cancer free I was diagnosed with cancer in the right breast and will have a mastectomy with lat. dorsi flap reconstruction on 8/4/2010. After healing I will be doing a fund raising climb of Mt Kilimanjaro in Feb. 2011 for children orphaned due to HIV/AIDS. I've had my mountains to climb....this is just another one. If you can conquer cancer you certainly can conquer a mountain!

Celeste D. Valle
Kingston, NY