Cancer certainly changes your life forever.  And it also forces you to think about what you're going to do with your life as a survivor.
      My name is Vanessa Echols.  I was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer on February 23, 2004.  My treatment included six months of chemotherapy, a mastectomy and 30 radiation treatments.  And it all played out in public.  My career is in television news.  I anchor the morning and noon newscasts at WFTV Channel 9, the ABC affiliate, and another morning newscast at WRDQ Channel 27, both in Orlando, Florida.
      I went public with my story, sharing with viewers my diagnosis and treatment plan.  I was flooded with letters, cards, e-mails and phone calls from people throughout our viewing area.  But along with prayers and encouraging words, I also heard some heartbreaking stories from other survivors who were walking the cancer journey without the support of family nearby or friends they could call on for help.  I also met a woman in my chemotherapy group who was going through treatment and trying to care for her husband who was battling Alzheimer's disease. 
      I knew that being a public figure in my local community was also an opportunity to do something visible in the cancer fight.
      In October of last year (2007), I founded COMPASSIONATE HANDS AND HEARTS BREAST CANCER OUTREACH, INC.  Our mission is to be that extra pair of hands or that extra friend that we all needed at some point in the cancer fight.  We work directly with breast cancer patients in the Central Florida community.  We visit patients at home, run errands, provide rides to doctors' appointments, do light housecleaning, whatever they need to lighten the load and the stress that cancer treatment can bring.
      And sometimes we get very creative.  In December, we decorated a home for a cancer survivor and her two young daughters.  She's been battling Stage IV breast cancer for nearly ten years.
     We invite you to check out our website at: www.compassionatehandsandhearts.org
 
      When I began the cancer journey, I told family and friends that opportunities often come disguise as obstacles.   Because of COMPASSIONATE HANDS AND HEARTS, I believe that more than ever.