Family Focus: Charlotte woman's support of breast cancer hits home

A Charlotte woman has spent years supporting women battling breast cancer, a disease she's seen devastate her own family.

With help from her co-workers, Laura Renegar, is getting supplies ready for next week’s Making Strides Breast Cancer Walk in Charlotte.

“This is a princess headdress for our fighters or our survivors that we honor on our team,” she said.

Renegar’s team refers to breast cancer survivors as warrior princesses. It’s a cause that hits from for her.

Renegar’s mother died from breast cancer when Laura was 20 years old. She said she will never forget watching her mother suffer.

“It was horrifying, horrifying to watch somebody in that much pain constantly,” she said.

Since then, Renegar has supported breast cancer research, and for the past five years, she has been part of the Making Strides walk.

"It was sad. It was really hard. I kept thinking, ‘This is in memory of my mom,’" she said.

But what she never imagined is that she herself would need that support.

In February, she found a lump. "Oh my gosh. I was shocked. The minute I found it, I knew. The minute I found it Valentine's Day, I knew. I knew what it was," she said.

On March 1, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer and the fight for her own survival began.

"They say if you make it to three years, you're good. If you make it to five years you're great,” she said.

Renegar has a big team behind her, most of whom she works with.

"For her to do what she does and fight the battle she fights, it's just incredible," said a co-worker.

This year, the Making Strides walk is even more important to Renegar because she now has even more to walk for, "for my mom, for my princesses and now for myself."

Renegar just underwent a double mastectomy on Tuesday where doctors removed both of her breasts to prevent the cancer from returning.

She told Channel 9 she will walk with her team in the Making Strides walk on Oct. 29.

To register for the Making Strides walk click here.