Having Breast Cancer is one thing, but when someone in your family has died because of it or, a loved one is experiencing it, your opinion on breast cancer is dramatically changed.

Nicole Raymor is a student here at South Lyon East High School. She is a sophomore who has recently lost a family member to breast cancer. Last year, in February she had a cousin named Lisa that died at, which is considered less than a half of an average person’s life.

There is a difference when someone is diagnosed with breast cancer and when they’re lost to it. When Raymor first heard that her cousin was diagnosed with cancer she claimed, “When my cousin was first diagnosed with breast cancer I was 11, so it was four years ago and all I knew was that it was a bad thing and over the years I learned what it was and how bad it is but before I never really knew that it could kill someone at such a young age.”  But when she lost her cousin her feelings changed. “It took me awhile to realize that she wasn’t coming back and didn’t know if thing where going to change or not I never really knew that breast cancer could kill someone especially someone that was super nice but I was still sad because she was my cousin and I loved her,” Raymor said.

Raymor was never really close to her cousin Lisa. “Not being so close to Lisa let me be strong for my parents and other family members that where close to her,” Raymor said. Some people don’t understand how bad this can be for families because if one person has breast cancer than there is a chance that anyone else in the family blood related to that single person has a chance of having it to (including men). For the Raymor family, none have faced breast cancer right now but that doesn’t mean it’s not possible. “I was very surprised when nobody in my family when to get a mammogram after Lisa had died,” Raymor said.

Everyone has a favorite thing about one person and a favorite memory. Raymor once said, “Whenever you needed to help she was willing to help you no matter what it was or how extreme the situation was…” Raymor continued, “I remember at the Christmas before she passed when we where a play this card game and we where switching cards under the table for a better advantage for the two of us.”

Losing a family member to breast cancer can be very stressful. The best thing to do is be strong.