The following story appeared in The Natchez Democrat’s pink special section Sunday to raise awareness for breast cancer.

NATCHEZ — Those words felt like a death sentence.

Breast. Cancer.

Lydia Dunn had seen her mother die of the disease at an early age, and that end was what occupied her mind when she heard those words after a mammogram found it in her in 1988.

But that sense of inevitability was disrupted by a woman who took the time to show her that the diagnosis is only the first step and not the conclusion.

The woman was a volunteer with Reach to Recovery, a program of the American Cancer Society that provides information and support to anyone facing breast cancer.

“I was so anxious to meet her,” Dunn said. “I had watched my mother die, and I thought this was a death sentence. When she came in, I was very alert and open to what she had to say — she had such an impact on my way of thinking, she made me so happy because I could see there was someone who could talk about this, and she was very happy, very healthy and willing to share everything she could.”

That woman’s willingness to be an open book stayed with Dunn long after her own treatment ended, and — when she had reached the required two-year survivor status to be eligible for the program — she decided to join Reach to Recovery as a volunteer.

She’s been sharing her experience as a survivor with three to five women every month for the last 25 years, and has never turned down an opportunity visit.

The meetings happen at the hospital before a patient goes home.

“I am always ready to go and share what I can in support,” she said. “One of the big things is whenever we go in and they realize we are a breast cancer survivor, and not only have we survived but we have a productive life, that is a big inspiration.”

Each visit includes sharing literature and support material that talks about what is coming and even offers definitions of the different cancer-related vocabulary. It also includes making resource referrals.

But the main point of those visits is a simple message — you’ve got someone here who understands exactly where you are right now.

“This is not just somebody who goes and sees you that is telling you what the literature says, it is somebody who has been there and done that, and they are now living a productive life,” Dunn said.

And Dunn said she plans to keep on sharing the message that the words “breast cancer” aren’t synonyms for “death sentence.”

“I have not seen anyone yet who is not willing to hear what I have to say,” she said. “It is very rewarding to me.”