When Carol Allen of Richmond, Virginia, retired after a 35-year career in banking, she pictured a serene, no-stress retirement. She, like anyone else would, never expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer.

Carol had had a routine mammogram and thought nothing of it until her doctor called her the next day and asked her to come to his office to talk. That's when he told Carol the bad news. “I couldn't believe it,” she remembers. “I was in a daze.”

With no history of cancer in her family, Carol couldn't understand why she had this disease. “I didn't know where to turn,” she says. With no siblings and no living family to lean on, Carol felt a little lost. But being born and raised in Richmond, she knew a lot of people in her hometown. And they came out of the woodwork to help her. “After my mastectomy, I discovered the true friends I had in my life,” she recalls.

Carol left Richmond to attend Duke University, where she studied Political Science. After graduation, Carol returned to Richmond and went to work in public relations with a bank, which turned into her life's work. “I remained at the same bank for 35 years. I really enjoyed my work,” she says.

Yet four years ago, when Carol was diagnosed, her world was turned topsy-turvy. She went ahead with the surgery and made up her mind that she didn't want chemotherapy. She instead chose the drug therapy Tamoxifen, which she took for more than three years. Now she takes only Arimidex. “Every person is different, and these treatments worked for me,” she says.

Carol's experience with cancer led to an ongoing relationship with the American Cancer Society. “I had read about the various firms offering these charitable gift annuities and decided on the Society,” she says, “because of my run-in with cancer.” By talking with a planned giving officer in her region, Carol established a charitable gift annuity that let her donate assets to the American Cancer Society, which then pays a fixed-dollar amount to her. Carol has since established another charitable gift annuity and hopes to do more in the future. By supporting the Society through this form of planned giving, Carol had a chance to see her charity in action, while she also earns lifetime payments and generous tax savings.

“I wanted to make a difference while I am still alive, and it's a good use of money,” Carol says. Planned gifts typically come from a donor's assets rather than income and can be either outright or deferred. All donations to the American Cancer Society help fight cancer through research, education, advocacy, and patient services.

Every four months, Carol goes back to her doctor for a check-up. As a cancer survivor, she keeps a busy schedule, volunteering her time and being active with friends. She likes to entertain as a way to thank all of her friends for being there for her when she was diagnosed by cancer. She says with a smile, “It's all attitude. I hardly think of it anymore.”

To find out how you can help make a difference in a way that is best for your specific situation, contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-1885 or visit www.cancer.org.