Stephanie Carroll is fighting for her life. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 when she was 32-years-old. "My most recent scan in December showed continued progression of the disease and so I am currently waiting for a liver biopsy to confirm that the breast cancer has spread not only from the bones but also now to the liver."
Stephanie wants to raise awareness of metastatic breast cancer, a disease that originates in the breast but spreads to other organs. "I am learning now that I have to live with metastatic breast cancer. It's still scary because there isn't necessarily a cure because it continues to spread."
RELATED: More local Race for the Cure stories
That's why Stephanie will be at the Race for the Cure. She hopes others will join her in the fight against breast cancer. "A lot of people don't know is that 75 percent of the funds that are raised stays here in the community. And those community programs they are there at the race."
"A diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer, there's still hope. Even though we can't cure it, we can treat it with different modalities that can allow people to still live a long life," says breast cancer surgeon Dr. Elena Rehl.
The doctor says it's about raising awareness and early detection. "Make sure you get your mammogram every year and it should be a 3-D screening mammogram because that's the best technology that we have right now."
"I have to live life and I have to not allow this title to define who I am," Carroll says.
The 2020 Komen South Florida Race for the Cure takes place Saturday, January 25, 2020
