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Breast Cancer: Friends Sharing Similar Stories

MIAMI (CBS4) ― This story is very important to me, not just because it's about a very serious disease, but because it's about a friend of mine. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, a mutual friend introduced me to Lauren Levine. We had a lot in common.

Lauren Levine was married for just four days when she got devastating news.

At a time when she and her husband were supposed to be enjoying their honeymoon and planning a family, they were instead scheduling cancer treatments.

But when I met Lauren, she had just passed the 5 year mark and was happy and cancer-free. Chemotherapy was a distant memory. Her breasts had been removed and she had brand new silicone implants. She looked and felt great and even though she was told she might never be able to have children, she did have two kids.

At the time, I was fighting my own breast cancer battle. I was bald, weak and scared that I might not live to raise my own child. My mom had died from cancer, and I worried constantly about my own fate. So Lauren, became my inspiration.

One day, I hoped I wouldn't need my wig anymore. My hair would grow back, like hers. I would have energy, like she did. And if I could have her sense of humor about it all? Even better.

As a friend, I encouraged her to get tested for the breast and ovarian cancer gene that I had. It turned out that both she and her sister Lisa had the gene.

Lisa never had cancer, but since her risk was very high, she decided to have both her healthy breasts and ovaries removed to prevent it. The surgeries reduced her risk by a whopping 90 percent.

"No regrets," she said.

Fast forward two years and today, Lauren's sister Lisa is so glad that I convinced her to be tested. As a licensed psychotherapist, she's even devoted her career to helping other young women make decisions about gene testing and preventive surgery.

But while Lisa's story has a happy ending, her sister Lauren's can't be wrapped up and tied with such a neat, nice bow.

'I was just in the shower. and I just felt something," Lauren said.

After living for seven years with no cancer, somehow, even after a double mastectomy, it was back.

It turns out, that even after a mastectomy, there are tiny amounts of breast tissue they just can't get out. This is something no one ever expected.

So now she's going through treatments once again. Every day she lies still while toxic radiation beams into her chest, and chemo has once again made her bald. This time, I loaned her my wig, which I don't need anymore.

Lauren still has a sense of humor. When we sat down for an interview, it all seemed so intense, so much for a young woman in her 30's to handle...that she had to laugh.

But behind our laughter is the biggest fear that we both share. This disease could kill us, and how do we explain that possibility to our children?

"Certainly my daughter is at age where she asks questions," said Lauren "She asks why does mommy have no hair?"

"I tell her mommy had breast cancer and she had to take medicine that made her hair fall out and hopefully that medicine will make mommy well."

"As time passes, perhaps this second diagnosis will also fade into the past, just like the first time. But that doesn't make it any easier."

Lauren just finished her last radiation treatment Monday. And doctors say her prognosis could be good, because it looks like the cancer is gone. They will keep doing their tests and keeping a close watch on her. In the meantime, we will be celebrating the end of her treatment.

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)