My story is about a woman that I never even met. When I was a teenager, my mother worked at a bar & grill and was friends of the bartender, Lou Nelli. Lou had a wife (Carol Nelli) and the couple had one or two small children. Carol was diagnosed with breast cancer and struggled until she finally lost her battle. My mother often spoke of Carol's unique personality, her courage and her death. She used to say what a shame it was that Carol had died and left behind a young family. Carol was only in her early forties when she was struck down. Indeed a shame! At the time, the alternative therapies were few, early detection was nearly unknown and research was not as wide as it is today. But HER story soooo impacted my life that I continue to donate to breast cancer research, get my regular mammogram and advocate in her name! I plan to walk next year in her memory, and all the Carol Nellis that never knew how they and their experience with breast cancer touched my life.