Imagine watching your mother die of cancer. And then finding out you have a different form of the disease. It happened to the woman you're about to meet. She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer twice. But she used the strength she gained from her mother's experience to make positive changes in her life, including losing more than 100 pounds.

"London and Paris and Rome and Nice and Venice."

It was a European vacation Nanette Dionne's mother was supposed to take 20 years ago. But cancer, leukemia, ended her life too soon.

"This was her trip and she never got to take it," says Dionne.

So Nanette took the trip for her, and journeyed to all the landmarks her mom never got to see. A celebration of a life lost and one lived.

You see, Nanette had cancer too. Breast cancer. But with the strength she inherited from her mother, Nanette fought it. Two times.

"I have to do everything possible I knew, to fight this disease," says Dionne.

Fighting breast cancer meant undergoing treatment. Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Then Nanette took other proactive steps toward staying healthy. She started to eat right, exercise and underwent Bariatric surgery.

"I've lost over 150 pounds now," she says.

"There is a lot of data that does show that obesity and high fat diets may impact over-all survival," says Mayo Clinic surgeon Dr. Barbara Pockaj

Dr. Pockaj says while obesity may play a role in increasing your risk of breast cancer, there are many other factors such as family history and genetics that influence who will get the disease.

"But if you want to look at how you can reduce your risk, that is one way. I think healthy living does help," says Dr. Pockaj.

"I am back here in this back row…," says Dionne.

Nanette says her European vacation was so much more than just a trip. It was a symbol of her reclaiming her health, and going on to live out her mother's dream.

"I actually started crying because I looked up and I knew I was there. I had made it," she says.

Dr. Pockaj says Nanette's weight loss will improve her health in many ways including her heart health. However, there is no information on how gastric bypass and dramatic weight change effects breast cancer prognosis.

For more information, visit the Mayo Clinic Website.

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On the Web:
Cancer Treatment at Mayo Clinic
Bariatric Surgery - Treatment Options at Mayo Clinic