Mikki Thomas attributes her faith and perseverance to her breast cancer diagnosis and recovery. For three years she showed various doctors a lump under her arm, but they all dismissed it as a "bump with a hair follicle." "It was back in 1998, and finally I was referred to a surgeon who did a needle biopsy and it came back negative," says Thomas, who was 48 at the time and lives outside of Cleveland. "But it became so unsightly that I insisted they remove it. I had the surgery and then at the doctor’s office I heard the news — it was cancerous."

By the time the cancer was finally diagnosed it was Stage 3, and Thomas wound up having a lumpectomy, five rounds of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation. She was also put on tamoxifen for five years. "I tell people it was [because of] my and God's persistence that the lump was taken out," says Thomas, whose mother is a breast cancer survivor. "I wonder where I would be today if I had listened to the doctors and left the lump alone."

Thomas says maybe it seems naïve, but she wasn't worried about the outcome. "I assumed I would be OK," she says. "My mother was fine, even after a recurrence. My concern was my kids, not that I wouldn't recover. I never thought of myself as being sick, although I didn't have a lot of energy, lost my hair and experienced other symptoms. When I went back to work I had a positive attitude, and I think that helped."

She worked at Stouffer's, which is now Nestlé's, and was allowed six months sick leave, which gave her time to recuperate. "That time off made a difference," she says.

The father of Thomas' son and daughter moved in to be at her side, and throughout her entire ordeal she found his support, and that of her family, friends and coworkers, was invaluable. "It was overwhelming," says Thomas, who is a prep-weigher at Nestlé's frozen foods, which includes Lean Cuisine, where she has worked since 1979. "It makes a difference when you have people there for you. Many women don't want others to know they have breast cancer, but if they keep silent their friends and family can't offer their help or pray for them."

Since her diagnosis, Thomas, who is now 58, has made many lifestyle changes. She switched to eating more fruits and vegetables and began drinking plenty of water each day. She quit smoking and started walking regularly. "I am convinced this all played into my well-being," she says.

Her exercising included entering the Komen Race for the Cure. "During my second week of radiation, my daughter suggested that I participate," she recalls. "I was very pleased I had the endurance to finish the race."

It was because of Thomas and a few other women that Lean Cuisine partnered up with Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “At the finish line after my first race I saw Bill Yeager, who was a manager at Nestlé's. His wife, Judy, was battling breast cancer and we started to talk. Within a few months I hooked up with Judy and we decided to organize family, friends, coworkers and church members to join The Race for the Cure and represent Nestlé's and Lean Cuisine. A group of us even participated in a telethon in Cleveland to get people to register.”

Subsequently, Lean Cuisine sponsored the race and gave T-shirts to whoever signed up. Each year Thomas and Judy's group make up approximately 120 of the runners in the Cleveland Komen race. "My co-workers Debbi Sanders and Diane Isby have also been very helpful in signing people up for the race," she adds.

When asked if any good has come out of having breast cancer, Thomas replies: "In some way it was a blessing. It totally changed my life and has made me a much stronger person. I became more spiritual. I learned to accept what life threw my way, and I learned to grow from it."