It’s already beginning to feel like fall in Yorkshire, England.

Cindy Matteson is enjoying the cooler weather while on holiday visiting her son and daughter-in-law.

Much of her days are spent on long walks through the English countryside, savoring the flavors of summer and taking a much-needed respite to replenish her soul.

England is a long way from her home in San Antonio. Soon she will return to Texas and once again begin raising awareness in her ongoing fight against breast cancer.

“For me, breast cancer awareness isn’t just one month in the fall,” said Matteson, who grew up in Cashion and whose mother, Colleen Foster, lives there.

“As an advocate it is a daily issue to advocate and help those by guiding them through the entire process. My loyalties are to support science and research and that’s why the American Cancer Society is extremely important to me in the fight against cancer.”

Matteson was 49 years old when she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.

“I thought I was going to die,” she says. “The doctors told me my cancer was very aggressive. I had two tumors in my initial diagnosis and three weeks later, after multiple tests and scans, a third tumor had developed.”

Over the course of 16 weeks, Matteson underwent eight rounds of chemotherapy. That was followed by 35 radiation treatments, five times a week for seven weeks.

More than 20 surgeries ensued, including mastectomy and then finally breast reconstruction.

It was a grueling journey, she says, but she was determined to defeat cancer. Her fight was made a bit easier by the love and support of her family.

“The caregiver role is more important than any role for someone who is fighting cancer,” Matteson says. “Caregivers never get enough credit for all they do behind the scenes. I couldn’t have made it without the amazing support of my family and close friends.”

Matteson’s father farmed a great deal of land in Kingfisher County and her mother operated the town’s favorite beauty shop in Cashion.

So, her roots and her family have always been important, she says.

When she was diagnosed, Matteson says her mom was by her side every step of the way.

“Mom was devastated and sad when I told her I had breast cancer,” she said. “We had just lost my father to stage 4 pancreatic cancer a few years earlier. He had a two-month battle with the disease, so it was a scary time for us all. But my mother was there for me every minute. She never missed going with me to my chemo and stayed with me for several days following each treatment.”

During her cancer journey, Matteson was still living in Oklahoma. Her reconstruction surgeries were with the former Chief of Plastic Surgery at OU Health Sciences Center, Dr. Kamal Sawan.

“He was the only doctor in Oklahoma City that was willing to take on my difficult case,” she said. “It was complicated because I had to wait a year and a half after chemo and radiation before I could have reconstruction. Looking back, I had many great experiences with OUHSC.”

News of the upcoming “American Cancer Society Chad Richison Hope Lodge Oklahoma” made its way to England, Matteson said, and it made her smile.

“I keep up with the news in my home state and I am so happy this is finally happening,” she said. “Helping the underserved communities and those in need is what I do and who I am as an advocate. It’s why I raise funds, so people who can’t afford treatments, travel, and lodging have the same opportunities as others. Hope Lodge is going to be so very important to Oklahoma.”

Since 2006, Matteson has helped raise more than $300,000 in Oklahoma and Texas for the fight against breast cancer. She has a dedicated team she calls “Cindy’s Pink Ninjas” and together they often work with ACS for a world without cancer.

“I have participated in several Relay For Life events,” she said. “My first ACS event was in May 2006 in Tulsa, about two weeks after my chemo treatments ended. ACS provides so much for so many, including life-saving research, advice and support and even simple things like free rides to treatment. We must continue to help fund ACS with donations, no matter how small. Every dollar counts!”

As the American Can-cer Society heads into its annual “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” season, things may look a little different.

This year’s event will be virtual, allowing participants to walk at their own pace, in their own neighborhood, and still raise money and awareness for breast cancer.

As she watches the changing of the seasons from her son’s Yorkshire home, Matteson says it’s both an honor and a privilege to walk for breast cancer awareness, because every day is a gift.

“I am a survivor of stage 3 breast cancer,” she says. “I will celebrate 15 years on my ‘cancerversary’ on Dec. 27. I am a thriver who has survived a devastating disease. I have made a lifelong commitment to do as much as possible to help find cures to end cancer. I have not stopped or waivered from that promise in these 15 years, and I never will.”

Information on breast cancer can be found at www.Cancer.org and registration for the upcoming walk can be found at www.makingstrideswalk.org.