Did you know your chances of beating breast cancer are better if detected early?

The purpose of this post is to educate ourselves, and the women around us, on how to prevent breast cancer, a disease that affects millions worldwide.

Strength, courage, bravery, optimism and an exceptional attitude are words that come to mind when I think of Mariana Torrado, a breast cancer survivor who I met last week.

Mariana is a fighter. There's no other way to define her. A fighter eager to communicate a very important message: Breast cancer can be beaten if detected early. And, she’s on a mission to raise awareness about the importance of prevention and early detection of breast cancer.

This is her story.

Mariana is 31, and in March of last year, she had her annual gynecological check up. Everything seemed fine but just a few days later she felt a stabbing pain in one of her breasts. And despite having just been to the doctor, she decided to go back and had a mammogram. It wasn’t long before she got the call no one wants to receive; she had cancer.

What’s amazing about this story is that she listened to her body and acted immediately. She could have just ignored this tiny sign and waited for her next check up the following year. Mariana was able to start her treatment on time and she beat cancer after 16 chemotherapies, a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery. In addition, she froze her eggs because chemotherapy can cause infertility.

All these medical terms I had heard many times before meeting Mariana, however, no one had told me the hell it is to fight this disease in detail.

In the 365 days that the treatment lasted, she suffered unimaginable physical changes. Her breast were reconstructed, she lost her hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. But thanks to Mariana’s effort, her family, friends, doctors and the power of God she defeated cancer. On December 23, she rang the bell and today, Mariana is cancer free and determined to help women, spreading the message of how important prevention and early detection of breast cancer is.

That’s why Mariana has partnered with the Bella Foundation, bringing Houston The PINK POWER Houston Project.

Pink Power’s mission is to spread the message about the importance of early detection of breast cancer. By educating women and girls of how critical it is to listen to their bodies.

Pink Power has already been to a lot of cities in Mexico and the U.S., and now thanks to Mariana Torrado, they’ll be here in Houston.

The idea is to collect donations to further promote their campaign, offer free mammograms, and organize conferences about cancer, in addition to publishing books and medical journals.

In appreciation of your donation, Pink Power Houston will give you an amazing picture just like this one as a gift.

What do the pink stripes mean?

A pink stripe means you are a warrior against breast cancer.

Two stripes identify you as a survivor or someone battling any type of cancer.

Want to participate? It’s easy. Pink Power Houston will take place the 24 and 25 of October. Make your appointment, have your picture taken and commit to spreading the word. You can go with your mothers, friends, and daughters or with any woman who wants to save lives by spreading this important message.

Generations are changing fast and information is moving faster then ever before. Let’s all share this life saving message.

When I finished my chat with her, I realized how ignorant most of us are in that topic. Yes, we all know we should check ourselves and that we have to schedule mammograms, but do we really do it? Do we auto examine ourselves every month? Are we in sync with our bodies so we can detect any change? Yo Mariana leave you with that to reflect on your own…

Without knowing me, Mariana sincerely opened the doors to her heart and talked to me for hours about that path of uncertainty and worry with an amazing optimism and smile. It was pleasure meeting her, and I hope we can share her story.

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