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Breast cancer survivor Andrea Ivory is on a mission to educate Florida communities about the disease, one door at a time.

Andrea Ivory
CNN Hero

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. How ironic that today I celebrate five years of being breast cancer free.

Many people ask: why does breast cancer get so much attention? Breast Cancer kills our mothers, our daughters, our sisters, our family members, and our friends. As a matter of fact, it is estimated that more than 40.000 women will die from breast cancer this year alone. But, there is hope because we know that early detection saves lives. It saved mine.

Many women do not know that ALL women are at risk for breast cancer, that 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, that not all women diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history of the disease, or that young women are being diagnosed increasingly, with more aggressive forms of breast cancer. These few statistics are a call to action for ALL women.

I am asking ALL women to join me in the fight against breast cancer by knowing their risks and practicing the early detection guidelines. If every woman 40 years and older got their annual mammograms, every woman in their 20’s and 30’s got their clinical exams, and every woman in their 20’s practiced breast self awareness, we could lower the mortality rate. Then children would not lose their mothers, family members could have their loved ones, and friendships could continue to flourish.

So, let’s keep the attention on breast cancer not only in October, but ever month. Until there is an available cure for all, we must do everything that we can to fight this disease around the world. Women do not have to die from breast cancer. Early detection is the best protection, and together we will make a difference!

I am honored to be a CNN Hero because it has given me a platform to widely spread the early detection message and connect women with the resources that could save their lives. I have received invitations from all over the world to replicate our highly successful door to door breast health outreach campaigns, and am looking forward to going National!

Editor's Note: Andrea Ivory is a breast cancer survivor bringing early detection to the doorsteps of thousands of uninsured women in South Florida. She is one of 10 2009 CNN Heroes.