In 1996, Paige Lynne Breunig,
a newlywed of one month, went to care for her mother, who
had recently been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. After six
months, her mom successfully completed her chemotherapy
treatments and the family hoped to put that chapter behind
them.
Three years later, Paige experienced
pain in her stomach during her new-hire training for her
dream job as a pharmaceutical rep with Bayer Pharmaceuticals.
Soon after, she was also diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Although her cancer returned only two months after her initial
treatment, she fought a valiant battle, enduring grueling
weekly travels for a gene therapy trial at MD Anderson in
Houston, and numerous unsuccessful chemotherapies. But at
the age of 32, only two years after she was diagnosed, Paige
died at home.
Initially devastated
by the inability to ever bear her own children, Paige fought
on without complaining but with increasing worries about
others, especially her younger sister, Shannon, who was
then 20. For this reason, her family has decided to donate
all the gifts raised for her Fund to The Lynne Cohen Cancer
Screening & Prevention Project at Bellevue Hospital
Center, NYU. The Christmas before Paige passed away, her
brother, Ian, and sister, Shannon, had a star named for
her so that everyone who knew and loved her would be able
to look up into that little corner of the heavens whenever
they wanted to, and always find Paige there.
