Henderson woman's courage recognized

Cancer survivor accepts national award

GV/AN/VIEW--Breast Cancer survivor Diane Carlson is awarded the 'National Woman of Courage Award' by the Moms in Business Network. Saturday, May 7,2005--View photo by shelly donahue

Diane Carlson never thought she was a candidate for breast cancer.

Although she had a busy work schedule that required a lot of traveling, she was in good health. Because there was no cancer in her family, she was stunned when she learned seven years ago she had developed the disease.

"I was just very, very surprised," she said. "I had no symptoms."

But Carlson quickly recovered from the shock and did not waste another moment as she armed herself against the disease with education and medical specialists.

Her proactive approach to her breast cancer earned her the National Woman of Courage Award from the Moms In Business Network and the International Association of Working Mothers. The award recognizes mothers who exhibit bravery in the face of adversity.

Carlson received the honor May 7 at the Create Your Dreams gala at Wynn Las Vegas.

"Actually it's an award I didn't even know about," she said. "I'm generally pretty brave about life, but I was amazed at the news."

Carlson, chairperson of IDC, a Henderson-based company that does fund-raising work for local and national organizations, is now a seven-year breast cancer survivor.

She credits early detection for allowing her to beat her illness within one year.

"Mammograms are routine for me, although I didn't have any breast cancer in my family that I was aware of," she said. "I'm pretty religious about getting checkups annually. Women are often afraid to get a mammogram. Thank God we have them."

Carlson began her fight by contacting local cancer organizations and reading every book about the disease she could find.

"It was a way to stay calm," she said. "I'm the kind of person that does pretty well with things if I can get educated. Once I began to get educated, it was helpful in terms of having a course of action."

A mother of three, Carlson had a lot of support from family and friends, along with sufficient health insurance.

"I just had a lot of great fortune," she said. "There were a lot of women who didn't go through it as well as I did."

Carlson also made changes to her lifestyle, modifying her travel schedule so she had more time for diet and exercise.

"It was a great faith journey for me," she said. "It really deepened my spirituality. I always felt positive about it. I never felt I was going to die."

With more than 30 years' experience in fundraising, Carlson made working with cancer institutions one of IDC's many focuses. Founded by her husband in the 1970s, IDC works with nonprofit groups, ranging from hospitals to St. Jude's Ranch for Children.

"Any time that an organization has to raise funds it's usually a project or a program that benefits people, and that's what I like about it," Carlson said.

IDC is currently helping raise funds for five cancer centers in the country. Part of the $50 million the company raises for clients annually is used for cancer treatment and research.

"I really wanted to try to use my talents in fundraising, give back in that way," Carlson said. "This is my way of making a difference."