Statistics show 1 in 8 women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime, and in 2010, nearly 40,000 U.S. women were expected to die from the disease. But the good news is that death rates have been decreasing EVERY year since 1990, and this is thought to be the result of advances in treatment, earlier detection through screening and increased awareness via magazines like Life PUBS bringing you this information and harping on it!

That’s why each year we find our inspiration and our strength to do it all again, from the stories of our survivors. These women are truly our heroes. Courageous local women who as their gift to you are willing to share the most intimate details of a journey not one of them ever wanted to embark on: Their battle with cancer and back. They share these deeply personal, riveting stories with OUR readers, for no other reason than to help YOU, us, all understand the importance of prevention, early detection and knowing YOUR risk factors. These wonderfully normal women went on a terrifying journey and lived to tell the tale, and thus becoming to us, the personification of hero even though none of THEM would see it that way. They did what they had to do to battle back, and battle back they did and thus their heart-touching stories are presented here in the sincerest form they or we know how. Simply to give hope to those who are currently battling breast cancer or know someone who is. And for everyone else, we hope these stories are the push needed for you to get tested TODAY.

Gina Castronovo

By Mindi Rudan & Kristan Bond

Being the wife of one of SoFla’s most beloved and popular morning radio show hosts, Paul Castronovo, of the Paul & Young Ron show, Gina Castronovo couldn’t keep her business private if she wanted to. Now knowing what she does about breast cancer, this vivacious mother of two active boys, Nic, 19 and AJ, 11 will shout it from the rooftops if it will help others stay healthy.

“I was being proactive with my health by getting mammograms,” she said. “But in 2005, I woke up and noticed obvious swelling in my left breast. I had had no previous signs or symptoms and no family history of breast cancer, but I was concerned and immediately went to my gynecologist who was sure it wasn’t cancer.” Gina then went to the Women’s Center in Boca Raton to have what she thought was a cyst drained. But after more x-rays and another biopsy, Gina was stunned when she was told she had stage 3 cancer. “Treatment started immediately and over the next year and a half I had chemotherapy to reduce the tumor, then surgery to remove it, three more months of chemotherapy, a mastectomy followed by radiation, and a year of Herceptin. When treatment started, my doctor told me, ‘this is going to be a bad year,’ and it was, but I knew it was one bad year that would allow me to have many more good years. Through it all, I still got up every day, whether I wanted to or not.”

Despite her doctor’s warning of what was ahead, Gina didn’t necessarily expect the physical and emotional toll it would have on her. “Going through all the treatments and surgeries changes a person,” she said. “You don’t really feel like yourself through it all. You may not feel as sexy as you once did, you have less energy, and the ‘chemo brain’ can cause memory loss. You have new aches and pains and scars. It’s something you can never really understand until you go through it.”

But go through it all she did with her loving family by her side to support her—her husband of 15 years, Paul Castronovo, and her sons were her rocks. “They were obviously concerned and frightened when I told them my diagnosis,” said Gina. “But they were there for me every step of the way.”

In addition to reading books such as Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster: A Guide of Mind-Body Techniques by Peggy Huddleston, another resource that helped Gina cope was attending a support group at the Boca Raton Regional Hospital where she met other women who were having similar feelings and experiences as she was. Gina and five of the women decided to join forces and write a book to help other young women deal with their emotions to know they weren’t alone. Just a Lump in the Road … Reflections of Young Breast Cancer Survivors shares the experiences of Gina and five other women, giving many different perspectives on the journey with breast cancer—from a single woman to a woman who’s married with children, the different treatments and side effects they experienced, dealing with hair loss, and the best part, life after cancer. “The purpose of the book isn’t to give medical advice, but to share a variety of experiences that different women can relate to, and to show women that someone out there has had the same thoughts and feelings and fears as they’re experiencing.”

Gina armed herself with as much knowledge as she could from the moment she was diagnosed. She remembers a book she read on empowering yourself as a patient, which said that the most difficult patients are generally the ones who survive. She wants other women to not be afraid to get a second opinion or to talk to as many different experts as they need to, to learn about and feel comfortable with their treatment options. “I think we all need to do our part to change the tide of this horrible disease that affects so many; our mothers, sisters and friends. I survived because I received good care and the proper treatment and had incredible support from family and friends. My advice to other women is to get support early, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and to remember the best advice that I received: dying is not an option.”

Cindy Schwartz

By Jen Glantz

Coral Springs resident Cindy Schwartz will tell you that breast cancer is a disease (dis-ease) meaning something that is not at ease in your life. But she won’t stop there. Her strength, proven through her remarkable journey that framed the past 10 years of her life that she has now chosen to share, shows this feisty survivor’s true colors: incredibly nice, normal and not afraid to tell it like it is.

Her story begins in 2001 when she found a lump in her breast while stretching. “My oncologist at the time explained that it was a very aggressive cancer that would have progressed before I was due for my next routine mammogram. The lump was so high and barely in the breast tissue, that I’m not sure I would have ever found it by routine self examination,” Schwartz said. “I was completely blindsided; absolutely no signs, no warnings, no inklings.”

Her treatment included a biopsy, a lumpectomy, a surgery to install a port, chemotherapy, IV treatments to prevent dehydration, Neuprogen shots to build white blood cells, Procrit to protect her heart and generate red blood cells and Tomoxifen for five years. Through the process, Schwartz made sure to do her own research when she was wary that her doctor added additional chemotherapy to her treatment plan. “The best thing I did was fax my test results to Penn State’s Research Nurses; they explained to me EXACTLY what the correct protocol was. At some point you have to surrender and put your trust in your doctor. If you don’t feel that bond, look for a new doctor.”

A mother of two children, Holli and Justin, Schwartz was determined not to let the disease keep her from her family. “I looked my two scared-to-death kids in the eye and said I am not going to leave you, I am NOT going anywhere, I promise. Anyone who knows me knows I am a survivor, I have a drive inside that’s undeniably tough and will not stop no matter how hard the times would become.”

Once this process was over, Schwartz thrived in the freedom of having her life back. But 10 years later, breast cancer came knocking at her door again in September of 2010. “I developed a rash on my skin that I thought was from heat and sweating. At first, I didn’t have any typical breast cancer signs, certainly not compared to my prior experience. I was totally flabbergasted to find out how far along it was and how lucky I was to have found it.”

A fighter 10 years ago, Schwartz was yet again forced to put on her game face and beat stage 3 cancer in one breast and stage 4 in the other. “I knew what the treatments would be like and what it would do to me so my attitude was, let’s get rid of it and treat it. I have a life to live and this wasn’t going to prevent it, it just took me the long way around the block instead of the path I thought I’d take.”

This time around, Schwartz had to face another roadblock, not having insurance. “I spent weeks and months applying for Medicaid and was turned down, and I applied for the STAR Card. Just in time, and not a moment too soon, I was given aid as part of a Broward County Tax Grant; thank you Broward County taxpayers for saving my life! It’s stressful to be a patient, it’s hard to maintain a job and sort out account numbers. Just take one step at a time and when it comes to getting treatment you have to do what you have to do.”


After completing chemotherapy for the second time, Schwartz went in for a double mastectomy. “I tried not to think about this for months, after all I am fighting for my life and being vain or sobbing over boobs to anyone but myself seemed ridiculous. Breast cancer is such an emotional cancer for women and for those who love them.”

Today, Schwartz lives her life with a deeper courage to say exactly what’s on her mind and she advises PEOPLE to be smart, strong and when it comes to their health, don’t try to be invincible. “I am a survivor and I am not going anywhere. Cancer does not define me; it did however bring out the best of me. I am love and I am life and this little thing called breast cancer just makes all those good times even better!”

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