Lake Forest breast cancer survivor credits Komen Race for saving her life

LAKE FOREST, Calif. (KABC) -- The Susan G Komen-Orange County Race For the Cure is Sunday in Newport Beach, and among the attendees is a young breast cancer patient who wasn't insured when she was diagnosed.

When 28-year-old Veronica Mora of Lake Forest wears her survivor shirt, she'll be walking arm-in-arm with people she believes saved her life.

"There really is a community that cares about my health and my well-being, " she said.

After a two-year battle with stage 2 breast cancer, she is in remission.

But at the start of her journey, she felt scared and alone. Mora said, "It was just tough to get started. To be seen. To be heard."

After noticing a troubling sign, an inverted nipple, Veronica wanted to see a doctor, but she was in between jobs and uninsured.

"Everything stopped. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know where to go," she said.

Susan G. Komen-Orange County funds about 15 different community centers. Mora was fortunate to walk into one of them.

There she found a safety net and a gateway to treatment and services.

Ambrocia Lopez, director of grants and health services said, "Veronica received free treatment through a state-funded program called the breast and cervical cancer treatment program. "

If she didn't go to the clinic, Lopez said the prognosis would have been far worse.

"Most likely she would have been diagnosed at a very late stage with her breast cancer," she said.

Lopez also helped Veronica and her worried mother get psychological support in Spanish.

"Any woman that finds herself in despair -- that's one of our roles, to help navigate her to appropriate services, " Lopez said.

Genetic testing revealed Mora and her mother both carry a BRCA mutation. It's knowledge that will help them down the road.

This is why Mora hopes to raise awareness and stand strong along side other breast cancer survivors.

"Just be involved and just be an advocate for someone who doesn't have a voice," Mora said.

A portion of funds raised goes to research, but most of it is invested locally to help women like Mora.