opportunity

October, which is breast cancer awareness month, is always a time marked by reflection for Kendra Coleman, who was diagnosed a decade ago in the same month. But as she looks back on her diagnosis this year, she also is looking toward the future and ways to inspire others with her story. “I work every day to try to be an inspiration to someone else, to let my story help them or at least be encouragement to help with prevention,” said Coleman, a lifelong Joliet resident. After funding a lump in her breast in 2011, she had surgery to remove the cancer and has taken a medication called tamoxifen to treat the disease. Since her diagnosis, she’s been a staunch advocate of breast cancer awareness, hoping individuals can take valuable lessons from what she’s been through, she said. “It is preventable, there are possibilities for early detection, so it doesn’t spread, so I’ve taken my diagnosis as an opportunity to spread the word and educate people,” she said of the disease, which kills more than 1,600 people per day in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). To reduce the risk of the disease, individuals should lead a physically active lifestyle and maintain a healthy weight.