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'Stay strong, you can do this' | Breast, ovarian cancer survivors share their message of hope

The Oaks Day parade has been postponed until the fall, but we still wanted to honor the women who have battled and beaten breast and ovarian cancer

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — They’re fighters. They've endured countless rounds of chemo and radiation. They've opted for life-saving surgeries and reconstruction. They're survivors.

Today should have been the day 146 breast and ovarian cancer survivors had their Derby moment to shine. Churchill Downs has hosted these survivors at their annual Oaks Day Survivors Parade. But that moment's been moved to September, with the coronavirus restrictions.

More than 3.5 million women nationwide are breast cancer survivors. It's a sisterhood Elizabeth Jones never intended to join at the age of 25.

Credit: WHAS11

“I got diagnosed a week before Derby," Jones said.

Jones, a Bellarmine University graduate, is now an ICU nurse in California.

“I found the lump myself," said Jones. “It was just shocking, and I was constantly reassured by my physicians, like, 'you’re too young to have breast cancer. You don’t need to worry about this.'”

When the results came back, she opted for a double mastectomy followed by chemo.

In the U.S. just 4% of all new breast cancer cases in women are diagnosed before the age of 40. Sally Grimes was 35 when she received her diagnosis.

“You know they don’t do those mammograms until you’re 40, so that would’ve been sitting there for 5 more years," Grimes said.

She’s now a 20-year survivor who’s taken part in countless breast cancer walks to help others on their journeys.

Credit: WHAS11

“You’ve got your friends and family lining up on the side and they’re calling out your name and clapping. I can’t even imagine what it will be like to do the Survivors Parade," Grimes said.

This is her year. She's one of the 146 survivors selected to walk the Oaks Day Survivors Parade at Churchill Downs.

It's a day also to recognize those still in the fight and those we’ve lost in the battle.

“Sometimes I feel like it’s somebody else’s story. Because you never think it’ll happen to you and then it does and it’s surreal sometimes," Grimes said.

But there is always hope. Jones is one year out and there’s no sign of disease.

“Trust your gut, stay strong, you can do this," Jones said.

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