A nurse who ran a chemical dependency unit in Minneapolis, Speed was confident the lump was benign, mostly because of her age. "At 39, I was considered too young. In those days, we weren''t seeing women with breast cancer until past menopause," she says.

But when Speed came out of the fog of anesthesia, she knew something was terribly wrong. When she tried to move, she realized she had undergone a radical mastectomy. "They didn''t have to tell me because a biopsy couldn''t possibly hurt that much," she recalled.

Thus began her fight against cancer. As a recovering alcoholic and heavy smoker, Speed says today that cancer would prove to be her toughest battle.

Almost three years to the day after her mastectomy, a second lump was detected in her chest wall. A biopsy showed it was cancer. "It was a big disappointment for me. I had gotten married . . .and [then] had to go on oral chemotherapy for two years. My new husband was a wonderful support. All along, he didn''t let on how scared he was," Speed says.

She quit her nursing job after fatigue from the chemo set in. She lost weight and struggled with fears that she might never regain her energy. In her darkest hours, Speed says, "I thought, ?I''m too young to be like this the rest of my life.?"

Now retired and healthy at age 67, she is savoring the golden years of her life. "I feel that everything happens for a reason. It''s all in the plan," she says. "And there was a reason that I am an alcoholic and got the challenges in the order that I did. I sobered up. Then I got cancer. Today I feel so grateful that I recovered from everything ? and I''m in much better health than ever."

Speed has taken her message of recovery and hope to other people. She is now a public speaker for the American Cancer Society (ACS). She talks about drawing strength from the spiritual message of the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). "It''s a way of life, of learning how to accept things," she says, referring to philosophy that has helped millions of alcoholics worldwide since it was developed in 1939 by William D. Silkworth, MD, a co-founder of AA.

"Once I had learned how to accept my alcoholism, I applied that to accepting my cancer," Speed says. "It has strengthened my spirituality. It works."

Speed lives in Minnetonka, Minn., and is married with stepchildren and grandchildren. She says her lectures focus on living a healthy lifestyle, centered on a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, and proteins and regular exercise. She challenges people to choose healthy foods over junk food and high-fat diets, telling them that this choice can save lives.