Acuna family fundraising off to a strong start

Irene Acuna has a new mission in life: making sure that other women do not make the same mistake she made.

In September, she learned that the breast cancer she discovered seven months earlier had metastisized and would eventually take her life.

Irene, 45, said she ignored a small lump in her breast, thinking that she was not at risk since no one in her family had breast cancer.

“She did not get tested and she wants to tell that story,” sister-in-law Lisa Lunsford said. “She has said that is her mission in life -- to pass that story.”

Ms. Lunsford, who is married to Irene’s brother, Raynaldo, organized a barbecue last Saturday to raise money for Irene’s treatment and related living expenses.

The barbecue raised more than $5,000 and a GoFundMe page is taking donations, and has raised more than $2,000 to date.

Irene told the Enterprise that she has Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer and that the treatments “are not going to save my life.”

She plans to spend her remaining time spending time with her three daughters, Lexi, Ociana and Marisol, and her two grandaughters, and spreading the word about the importance of having regular cancer screenings.

“Testing doesn’t hurt, and it doesn’t take that long,” she said. “It is important to get tested at least once a year to catch it early. I never thought I would be diagnosed with breast cancer, so I didn’t think about getting tested. My situation could have had a different outcome with early testing.”

To donate to Irene’s medical expenses, go to www.gofundme.com/f/ help-irene-acuna-extendher- time-with-family.