Constance Hudson has reason to celebrate. She's being honored today at the Midwest Regional Black Family Reunion Celebration by radio station WIZF-FM (100.9) as their ""Unsung Hero” for the month of June for her work educating women about breast cancer.

        In October, Ms. Hudson joins other breast cancer survivors for the Breast Cancer Alliance's annual survivor's luncheon and daylong seminar on new developments in preventing and treating the disease.

        And in February, she marks her third anniversary as a breast cancer survivor.

        “I've been blessed, and I can't complain,” says the 42-year-old West Chester Township woman.

        Last year, Ms. Hudson was one of the survivors featured in a Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation video made to help couples deal with the physical, emotional and financial stresses of breast cancer.

        She's still working to spread the word about breast cancer. Her malignancy was initially diagnosed as a fibroid. By the time she got a proper diagnosis, she had to have surgery to remove the lump and four lymph nodes, followed by 20 weeks of chemotherapy.

        If she keeps talking about breast cancer, Ms. Hudson says, she can make sure other women don't go through what she did.

        “I'm always running into someone who's getting ready to go through it, and I'm always ready to encourage women and help them get through it,” she says.

        Her message is simple: Regular breast self-exams and routine mammograms save lives. The earlier breast cancer is caught, the easier it is to treat.

        She's going to school to get her degree in marketing. She has about a year to go, and thinks a master's degree wouldn't be such a bad idea for her next project.

        “After that whole cancer episode, I decided life is too short,” she says. “I'm competing against my daughter, Nakia, to see who can graduate first.”

        Keeping up with class work keeps her brain busy — a plus, she says, since one of the side effects of chemotherapy is memory loss.

        “I'm just trying to stay active and spread the word,” she says.

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