When Carmen Lodge was first diagnosed with breast cancer early last year it felt as though her world was crashing in around her.

She underwent months of chemotherapy, surgery and other treatments to get her cancer into remission — and now the courageous mother is focusing her efforts on helping others with the disease.

Mrs Lodge is preparing to walk in two upcoming cancer fundraisers, including the Relay for Life in Bermuda on May 30 and the Susan G Komen three-day walk in Atlanta, from October 17-19.

Money raised from the local event will go to Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre, while funds raised for the overseas walk will go towards important cancer research in the US.

Mrs Lodge admits that training since January hasn’t been an easy task.

“My first time walking after my surgery I was in so much pain and only able to do about 20 minutes a day,” she explained.

“But despite how much it hurt, walking gave me a goal and inspiration for myself. I had been through so much and experienced a lot of side effects from my chemotherapy, but the walking helped with that.

“I did some research and learned that some women with side effects from chemotherapy had done some exercises like light walking and it helped them deal with the pain and stopped them from feeling sorry for themselves.”

Within two weeks of walking she was able to go out for an hour or two a day. Right now she is walking about two and a half hours, starting from her home in Paget to Horseshoe Bay, and back.

Mrs Lodge will be taking part in the Susan G Komen walk alongside her daughter Morrissa Tucker.

Although Miss Tucker is currently overseas, studying psychology at Kean University in New Jersey, Mrs Lodge said it’s been an amazing bonding experience for them.

“We have always been close, but just the communication between us since we started training has been really positive,” she said.

“Morrissa will call and ask me how many hours I able to walk and just encourage me on the days when I don’t feel like I can do it.

“On some days there was pain so bad I couldn’t get up out of bed, so she was thinking she would have to leave school to come home, but I told her ‘I am fine’. I have my good days and bad days.”

At the Susan G Komen walk, they will have to complete about 20 miles of walking each day. They will stay in pink tented camps set up by organisers and be served breakfast, lunch and dinner by staff.

Mrs Lodge admitted she was most looking forward to experiencing the atmosphere and speaking with other breast cancer survivors and those who have lost someone to the illness. She said: “Every time I watch the advertisement online for the walk, it brings tears to my eyes, but tears of joy because you see so many survivors and it’s encouraging.

“At first my cancer diagnosis was doom and gloom, but to see Susan Komen and the rest of the women who have survived, I just wanted to be in the midst of that and hear some of the other stories and meet the women.”

Just completing one day of the walk would be a huge milestone for Mrs Lodge.

She suffers from neuropathy, a numbness and tingling in the feet caused by the chemotherapy.

Mrs Lodge said: “If I walk for a long period of time it can take over my whole foot where I can’t feel anything at all. That’s why I am just trying to walk so I can get used to the feeling.

“That’s my big challenge trying to find a way to manage that.

“But just being able to make it there will be a reward in itself,” she continued. “If I finish I will definitely be thanking the Lord for bringing me through this, but for now I’m just enjoying the fact that I have committed to this and I’m happy that I am going.

“I want to be able to raise as much money as I can for the cause, at least $3,000, but if I could do more that would be great.”

Mrs Lodge went in for a routine mammogram in February, 2013 and didn’t suspect anything was wrong with her health.

But ten days later she received a call back from her doctor saying she needed to go back for more tests.

“I went in for a biopsy that March. That’s when I was diagnosed with Stage One, Grade Three breast cancer.

“It was a shock and very overwhelming. I had a lot of support from my family when I got the call to come in to the doctor, but even before they told me the diagnosis I knew. For me it was just a matter of what kind of cancer and how aggressive it was.”

Mrs Lodge opted to have a double mastectomy to prevent the cancer from coming back.

She said her illness has forced her to look at things differently.

“Before I would worry about things a lot, but going through this I just take things one day at a time now,” she explained.

“I enjoy my life the best I can. Tomorrow is not promised to you and you never know what’s going to come your way. I thank God every day for what he has done for me.”

Mrs Lodge will be taking part in the Relay for Life, a 24-hour relay race for cancer survivors, on May 30-31, with a local support group called Just Between Us Divas. You can donate to the cause on www.cancer.bm.

Or to help with Mrs Lodge’s fundraising efforts for the Susan G Komen event, visit: www.the3day.org; click on the ‘Donate to a Participant’ tab and search for ‘Carmen Lodge’.