Warrior attitude inspired Summerlin-area woman during breast cancer treatment

Cathy Carrabis, a resident of The Lakes, has never been in the Army or fought in a war. But she does battle every day, and she has the camouflage outfit to prove it. It is, appropriately, pink.

Carrabis, 57, is facing down breast cancer. Pink is the banner color for breast cancer awareness.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K fun walk is planned for 8 a.m. Oct. 1 at the JW Marriott, 221 N. Rampart Blvd. Registration is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. and the walk at 8 a.m.

There is still time to form a group and sign up for the walk. For more information, visit makingstrides.acsevents.org.

Carrabis' camouflage hat is inscribed with three oversized words: Breast Cancer Warrior.

"I wear the hat every day," she said. "People will see it, read it and go, 'That's great.' "

In 2008, she found a small lump in her right breast while showering. Family matters took precedence, and it was a year before she had it checked out.

What had begun as a small lump was now 2.6 centimeters. She couldn't ignore it any more.

She was diagnosed on Oct. 5, 2009, with stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma estrogen receptive-positive cancer. Her husband of 10 years, Jim, a retired Marine, told her they had to be strong.

"It was devastating at first," he said of going in for testing. "I said, 'It's not a tumor,' but then she tested positive ... We went online and began studying it. We didn't realize how (dangerous) this cancer was."

Within two weeks, Carrabis underwent a partial mastectomy in Las Vegas. It was followed by 38 rounds of radiation. She also flew to Illinois, where she underwent treatment at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

Jim Carrabis found the camouflage outfit at a gun show at Cashman Field soon after her treatments.

"I got her the whole outfit," he said. "It gave her hope."

Cathy Carrabis wasn't always a warrior. Soon after the diagnosis, she found herself writing notes and leaving them around her house, in her wardrobe drawers, vases and closet. The notes were instructions telling who in her family, or which of her friends, were to get her possessions after she died.

She can laugh about it now.

"Can you believe I did that?" she said.

She learned of the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event and participated in it last year. She plans to be part of it again in October.

At the event, teams raise money for research. In 2010, more than 800,000 walkers across the country participated, raising more than $60 million.

These days, Cathy Carrabis is at the American Cancer Society's office almost every day, helping out. In the past, she has volunteered for the society's Look Good ... Feel Better committee, which gives cancer patients wigs and makeup tips.

Paulette Anderson, media relations manager for the ACS, called Cathy Carrabis a "walking advertisement for the group. I love her whole spin on being a warrior."

Lisa Bybee, who signed up to be a team leader for the October event, said Cathy Carrabis is inspiring. Cancer runs in Bybee's family.

"Sometimes we feel sorry for ourselves, and then we see people like her, being a warrior," she said.

Cathy Carrabis also has given back by volunteering for Road to Recovery, another ACS program that partners survivors with those newly diagnosed. It was the Road to Recovery people, available by phone at any time, who made a difference in Cathy Carrabis' life. The 800 number, was, she said, part of what got her through those early days, back when she was leaving notes for others to find.

"When you wake up in the middle of the night, and you don't know which way your life is going, it's good to have that number," she said.

For more information about the American Cancer Society, visit cancer.org.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.