Breast cancer survivor ready for Miles for Moffitt

Tampa, FL-- Anne Benedini feels blessed to be a surivivor. After a routine mammogram in 2005 revealed she had ductal carcinoma in situ, a breast cancer found in the milk duct, she had lumpectomies in both breasts and six weeks of radiation.

"I feel like I can celebrate alot of things that I've seen in these last five years, that if I hadn't had a mammogram or the early diagnosis I wouldn't be here to see and to celebrate," said Benedini. "I think probably one of the worst things about being diagnosed with cancer is your feeling of your loss of control, or loss of power or the feeling of helplessness, and I think there were two areas after I had my initial surgery and radiation that I felt like I could control and that was my diet and my exercise."

The retired special education teacher has always been active, but made preventing a recurrence and being a healthy survivor her top priorities. She signed up for the first Miles for Moffitt race in 2006. The mother of two and grandmother has walked or ran every race since.

"For me, it was a way to give back. I think exercise and walking helped me during the course of my treatment because some of it was very overwhelming, some of the decisions I had to make, and if I was feeling overwhelmed, if I was outside on a beautiful day like today and walking, it gave me some quiet time to kind of organize my thoughts and think about things. So, I thought, well this is a perfect fit. I can go and I can exercise, but I can give back to Moffitt."

She's giving back for getting more memories with her family.

"What means the most to me is in that five years my daughter, Kate, and her husband have gotten married. I've gotten to see both Kate and Christine graduate from college," Benedini said. "I'm going to be as positive as I can be because, if anything, you learn you gotta value what you have today."

To sign up for Miles for Moffitt, visit the offical website.