Making Strides Against Breast Cancer: Cancer survivor makes charms of hope

Maureen Chodaba, a 26-year breast cancer survivor, is using angel charms to share her message and celebrate life.

Chodaba’s grandmother died from breast cancer in 1968. Her mother was a 38-year survivor and Chodaba was diagnosed in 1995. These days, she lives life knowing it’s precious, and the angel has become her mascot of sorts.

She’s since embraced the iconography of angels and the symbolic pink in making charms to hand out to others battling the disease.

“I used to think that pink ribbons… that’s trying to make a horrible disease seem pretty when there’s nothing pretty about it,” Chodaba said. “But now I realized the best way to fight back against cancer is to celebrate life.”

Chodaba will be handing out those charms at Saturday’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk at North Collier Regional Park at 15000 Livingston Road in Naples, starting at 4:30 p.m. for runners, 5 p.m. for walkers.