SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah woman who is now dedicated to saving animals once went through a health battle of her own and is now urging women to get health screenings.
It's been 14 years since Julie Castle, the C.E.O. of Best Friends Animal Society was diagnosed with stage 3B breast cancer.
"I was too ashamed to be honest with people and say I had all the warning signs and didn't go through the proper steps of getting the mammogram," she explained.
Her diagnosis led to 18 rounds of chemotherapy, 39 rounds of radiation and five surgeries in California.
"I absolutely got a second chance [at life]," Castle reflected.
After beating cancer, Castle turned to helping animals through her work at Best Friends Animal Society.
The nonprofit has saved thousands of animals but Castle believes she nearly lost her own life because she simply waited to get a mammogram.
"I could feel the size of the tumor getting bigger and I waited nearly a year," she explained.
Her message for Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October is simple. Listen to your body.
"Cancer is an opportunist," Castle said. "It will take advantage of your body being weakened. If you don't go and get checked right away you can go from being treatable to not being treatable and terminal."
For women who are fighting breast cancer now, Castle says it helped her to have a positive outlook on the future and think of what you can still do.
She ran a marathon in between rounds of radiation to keep her spirits up as she fought for her life.
