SAN FRANCISCO'S QUILTED NORTHERN SOFT & STRONG® CHAMPION – CONNIE NORTON

Connie Norton is an active volunteer and fundraiser for the San Francisco Bay Area Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. A breast cancer survivor, Norton demonstrates her commitment to Komen through her volunteerism and passion for educating the public about breast cancer and the need for quality health care for uninsured and underinsured women. Here is her personal story:

"In 2003, when I was 41, I went in for my annual mammogram. When I received a letter asking me to schedule a follow-up mammogram, I wasn't terribly worried. It had never seriously crossed my mind that I might be susceptible to breast cancer because none of my sisters, mother or maternal grandmother had ever had it, and I certainly wasn't post-menopausal.

"It wasn't until after my own diagnosis that I learned that only a small percentage of women afflicted by breast cancer actually have a family history. My second mammogram confirmed the unthinkable: I had ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in my right breast and required surgery.

"There was no sign of cancer in my left breast, but I learned that once you've had cancer in one breast, the risk for developing cancer in the other increases dramatically. At the time, it seemed inevitable that I would develop breast cancer again by the time I was 61 (the same age my father was when he died from metastatic cancer five years before my diagnosis).

"I didn't like those odds. To reduce my recurrence rate, I decided to have a double mastectomy. I was very lucky because my husband, Perry, supported my decision without hesitation. Ultimately, I'm glad I did because the impacted area was larger than had been detected by the mammogram, and there was a second lesion the mammogram hadn't identified. I am eternally grateful to my radiologist and surgeons and consider myself a walking example of the adage, 'Early Detection Saves Lives.' "

After her diagnosis, Connie searched for a way to make sense of her experience and found that she could use her talents to fight the disease on a personal level through Komen.

Since 2005, Connie has volunteered for the San Francisco Bay Area Komen Affiliate in a number of public policy activities. As a San Francisco Komen Community Council member, Connie has participated on several occasions as a Consumer Reviewer for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program Breast Cancer panel in Washington, D.C. She also has made several trips to Sacramento and Washington, D.C., as an activist with Komen's Champions for the Cure, and has lobbied the state of California and federal lawmakers to increase funding for breast cancer research, screening and navigation services. Closer to home, she has served as a member of the San Francisco Komen Affiliate Grants Committee and participated in vetting applications from organizations in the nine Bay Area counties that hope to receive funding from money raised through the San Francisco Race for the Cure®.

Connie's daughter, Aidan, was only 4-years-old when Connie was diagnosed. Now, mother and daughter walk annually with The Lion Queens, a team they founded with families from Aidan's school. Through donations from their families and friends, they have raised thousands of dollars to help fund breast cancer education, screening and treatment for hundreds of uninsured and underinsured women in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since 2008, the Lion Queens has been one of the San Francisco Komen Affiliate's top fundraising teams.

Connie is dedicated to supporting the national search for a cure, and her efforts towards breast cancer research and education are truly inspirational.

Georgia-Pacific is proud to call Connie Norton a Quilted Northern Soft & Strong® Champion.