I have never personally been affected by a breast cancer diagnosis; not my mother, grandmothers, or my aunts.

Something I had always heard was that breast cancer is genetic, but according to the National Breast Cancer Society, only about 10 percent of breast cancer diagnosis come with a family history.

I am blessed with two daughters, and the thought of developing breast cancer myself or watching one of them with it is a scary thought.

To be completely honest, because I have no family history of it, before I started working at the Cassville Democrat, I didn’t really think about it at all.

But one of my regular “beats” includes Breast Cancer Awareness month coverage. These articles are some of my favorites because, due to the feature style of writing, I feel like I get to paint a picture that plays out like a movie with words.

However, these aren’t my words. They are the words of the many women and one man that trusted me with their stories.

Think about how strong they have to be not only to go through this diagnosis, treatment, recovery and endless medication, but to then turn around and allow me to expose some of the most intimate moments of their journey — their emotions, hair loss, marriages and walks with God.

These stories bring me into the true meaning of awareness. I have spoken to women in their 30s. I have spoken to family friends of mine.

I have had a woman hang up in the middle of the interview to throw up, and I have sat in silence many times as women take a break from telling me their stories to compose themselves when overcome with tears.

I don’t know how many of them can tell that I am almost certainly wiping tears from my eyes and trying my best to keep my voice from shaking as I listen to their stories.

My heart is truly invested in these women and their stories, and I am honored to be the person to put it on paper. Unfortunately, through the years, I have had a couple of those women pass away.

One specifically was a family friend of mine. I was able to tell her story multiple times, both in the paper and in Connection Magazine.

Ruth Primrose passed away on Sept. 17 this year. Anyone who knew her knew how much she loved and cared about the people around her. I have never met someone with more compassion and empathy, and a truly selfless mindset. She was a beautiful person who is terribly missed.

In addition to the testimonial stories, I also write a story on the Power of Pink Foundation, a local organization that raises money, receives nominations and hands out checks to as many women as they can every year. They also focus on having a community for these women to belong in throughout their journey. I also write a yearly story featuring Cassville Mercy Hospital and what they offer in terms of mammograms and referrals.

This year, with Kyle and I having purchased the Democrat, we called Janice McCracken, Power of Pink Foundation foudner, and let her know that we will be donating 10 percent of all newspaper advertising dollars spent through the month of October.

This is the least we can do, as many of the ladies I have interviews over the years are Power of Pink recipients. I feel incredibly blessed be in a position to give back to an organization as impactful as Power of Pink.

I am thankful to be in the position I am in as a teller of the Pink Ladies’ stories, and I am incredibly thankful to the ladies who share their stories in hopes of bringing that awareness to the people who read them.

Because of these women, I perform a self-breast exam in the shower. I am only 31 and have a few years before my doctor recommends my annual mammogram, but I won’t hesitate. Because of these women, I will teach my daughters how to care for themselves and remind them to do their monthly self-breast exams as they get older.

These women have taught me about true strength, true faith rather, that is in God or their partner or even their doctors.

They have probably saved more than one life, and for that I am grateful.

Jordan Troutman is the Owner and General Manager of the Cassville Democrat, a wife, a mother of two daughters, a graduate of Capella University with a Bachelor’s in General Psychology and is pursuing a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy. She may be reached at jtroutman@cassville- democrat.com.