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Breast cancer took a lot from Robin Winters. It took her hair\u2014dreadlocks she\u2019d been diligently growing for 15 years to connect with her cultural heritage. She lost both her breasts in a mastectomy at age 53. She even lost relationships, as friends and family struggled to support her through the most difficult time of her life.<\/p>\n
But, as Robin tells it, God gave her twice as much back. As an operations specialist at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Robin strives to give back to the members she supports every day, because she\u2019s been in their shoes.<\/p>\n
A two-time survivor, Robin will be nine years cancer-free in September. But for a long time, she didn\u2019t want anyone to know what she\u2019d been through.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter my surgery, I felt like I had a neon sign on my head that said, \u2018She\u2019s a survivor,\u2019\u201d Robin said. \u201cPeople could look at me and tell. It didn\u2019t matter if I have on these padded bras or nothing. I just knew they knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
For months after her mastectomy, she wouldn\u2019t leave the house. But one day, when she did venture out, a beautiful surprise was waiting for her.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething just told me to go buy a lottery ticket\u2014something I never really do,\u201d she said. \u201cWell, I did, and I won $100. I went up to cash that $100, and here he is, a guy that I\u2019d not seen in 40 years. A beautiful man from high school that I\u2019d had a crush on back then,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd there he was. And we talked, and\u2026 he\u2019s my fianc\u00e9.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robin’s now-fianc\u00e9 Kenneth supported her through her treatments and helped her see the beauty in herself. Now, she wears \u201csurvivor\u201d as a badge of honor.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n