Asuncion Balon has survived breast cancer three separate times over the course of 39 years, and the Daly City woman has spent much of that time turning her own fight into a mission to help others facing the same diagnosis. A former nurse who worked in the field from 1971 until her retirement in 2012, Balon says she remains alive today and thankful to God.
Her first diagnosis came decades ago, but it wasn't her last. As reported by CBS News, Balon experienced a cancer recurrence nine years after her initial treatment. Years later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer again, this time on her right side, 20 years after her first diagnosis. In one especially unsettling episode, she found a lump in her breast that tested negative, only for doctors to find cancer elsewhere in her body.
From Patient to Volunteer
After retiring from nursing, Balon shifted her energy toward giving back to the American Cancer Society, the organization that supported her during her own cancer fight, per the same CBS News account. She also volunteers for Rich to Recovery, helping raise awareness, connect with people affected by breast cancer, and fundraise for cancer research. Balon has described breast cancer as a diagnosis, not a life sentence, and said she believes positive thinking can help people survive it.
Her perspective echoes what breast cancer advocates say about the scope of the disease. Olivia Catanio, the American Cancer Society's associate director of market events, said that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, according to the station's report. Catanio also said that screening at age 40 may be right for people at average risk of the disease, a note that aligns with federal guidance on mammograms.
What the Screening Guidelines Actually Say
The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women ages 40 through 74 get screened for breast cancer every other year. The task force is explicit, however, that this guidance does not apply to people with a genetic marker or syndrome associated with high breast cancer risk, or to those with a previous breast cancer diagnosis — a distinction relevant to survivors like Balon who continue to need individualized monitoring. The task force also notes there is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against supplemental ultrasound or MRI screening for women with dense breasts and an otherwise negative mammogram.
The disease's toll remains significant nationally. The task force reports that Black women are approximately 40 percent more likely to die of breast cancer than White women. Separate federal data describe breast cancer recurrence as cancer that comes back after treatment, according to the National Cancer Institute, a reality Balon has lived through more than once.
A Year-Round Push, With a Local Walk This Weekend
Breast cancer awareness is a year-round effort, not confined to October, according to the American Cancer Society, which holds annual Making Strides walks aimed at lowering breast cancer diagnoses and improving life for those who have experienced the disease. The organization's annual walk is set to take place at PayPal Park on Saturday at 9 a.m., per the CBS report. A separate walk billed as Making Strides 2026 is also listed on Eventbrite for Saturday at PayPal Park in San Jose, presented by the Greater NorCal PCC. Such walks raise funds for breast cancer patients, survivors and caregivers, according to KTVU FOX 2.
For Balon, the work of raising awareness and connecting with others facing breast cancer has become as much a part of her story as the diagnoses themselves. Nearly four decades after her first fight began, she continues to tell others that a diagnosis is not the end of the story.
