A Diagnosis Turned a Supporter into a Survivor

Roni PeGee's commitment to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer became a source of strength on her own cancer journey. 

Roni PeGee is the kind of woman who embraces opportunities to show up, support and connect with other women.  

And what better way than to participate in an American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer® event. Held nationwide in October – Breast Cancer Awareness Month – Making Strides walks celebrate survivors, honors loved ones and supports those facing breast cancer while raising money to support American Cancer Society research, programs, and services. 

Roni was healthy, active and thriving as a single mother raising her son when she started participating in their local Making Strides event. She participated because she believed in the cause and the women behind it.  

"I was drawn to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer because I'm a woman's woman," Roni said. "I love women's empowerment. And Making Strides is a time when women came together and supported each other." 

She never imagined she would one day count herself among those needing support.  

Something didn't feel right 

In 2021, everything changed. While absentmindedly scratching an area of her breast, Roni felt a lump. 

“This isn't normal,” she remembered thinking. “This hasn't been here.”  

Because her physician had ordered a baseline mammogram when she was 35, doctors had earlier imaging for comparison. What followed was a whirlwind of tests, appointments and, within days, a diagnosis of breast cancer.  

“My heart sunk,” Roni said. "That was a day that I'll never forget." 

Still, she didn't have much time to sit with the shock. She was on her way to her son's football game when she received the call, and almost immediately she shifted into action, leaning on faith, family and friends. 

Keeping things in stride 

Just three weeks after her diagnosis, Roni attended a Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event. For years, she had walked in support of others. This time was different. 

“I went to the Making Strides walk after my diagnosis knowing that I actually had cancer in my body,” she said. 

These days, she also walks for herself.  

Surrounded by long-term survivors, she felt a powerful shift in her perspective. Instead of seeing cancer as an ending, she began imagining herself on the other side of treatment. 

“I saw all the women and a few men who had been survivors like years and years,” she said. “And I said, I have to be one of them. If they could do it, I could do it.”  

That hope carried her through an aggressive treatment plan for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Over the next several months, she underwent weekly chemotherapy, a lumpectomy, and radiation therapy.  

The best kind of support 

Friends accompanied her to treatment, checked on her, brought meals and reminded her she didn't have to carry the burden alone. Of course, she knew that all along. Her son, Drew, was by her side during her entire cancer journey.  

Roni was diagnosed with breast cancer when Drew was just 15. Still, she leaned on the close bond they had built as a mother and son. 

“A lot of the decisions that I made to go with the treatment plan I did was because of him,” Roni said. “I had to get my greatest chances of survival so I could live for him.”  

Having taken Drew for haircuts since he was little, Roni felt it was only fitting to ask Drew to shave her head after chemotherapy, when the time came. Drew approached the moment with kindness and care – and a little humor – helping his mom through one of the most emotional parts of her cancer journey. 

Now a young man, Drew has honored his mother's journey with an indelible tribute: a tattoo down his arm with her name alongside a pink breast cancer survivor ribbon.  

“Now that he’s a little older, we can talk about it," Roni said. "He asks if I was afraid back then, and he asks how I’m feeling today or whether it can come back. I think he understands because we’ve known people whose mothers passed away from different types of cancer. I think he’s grateful in his own way. He’s really coming into his own.” 

Roni's message: Get involved; get screened 

Roni has long been a supporter of the American Cancer Society through her participation in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Movement. Before her diagnosis, she walked for others. These days, she also walks for herself.  

The experience has made Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Making Strides deeply personal, but it has also shaped how she thinks about awareness itself. Today, she encourages others to take the same proactive approach.  

She's become passionate about urging others to know their bodies, advocate for themselves and prioritize preventive care. 

“Screening and early detection saves lives,” she said. 

She is equally passionate about supporting research that drives progress. 

“If someone asked me, does it matter to donate to research, I would say it's your obligation to donate,” she said. “Whether it's you, someone you love, someone that you love loves, you're all going to be impacted.”