Altoona Woman Beats Breast Cancer Twice, Named Relay Ambassador

When Joanne Sassano received her second breast cancer diagnosis in 2024, she was devastated but not surprised. With a family history of breast cancer affecting her mother and aunts on both sides, she knew the importance of showing up to every single mammogram appointment.

That commitment to early detection saved her life twice. Sassano first beat breast cancer in 2007 after treatment that included a lumpectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation.

Seventeen years later, doctors caught a small spot on the opposite breast during a routine mammogram. Because they found it early, Sassano avoided chemotherapy entirely this time, needing only a mastectomy and 16 radiation sessions instead of the grueling 45 she endured the first time.

"Prevention's the cure, it really is," Sassano said. "I'm living proof of that."

The Altoona resident worked as a medical secretary at Altoona Hospital for over 40 years before retiring in 2023. She kept her first diagnosis quiet until after her daughter Michele's high school graduation party, not wanting to dampen the celebration.

Her husband Ron stayed by her side through both battles. "She trooped right through it," he said, noting how she maintained a positive attitude even during the darkest moments.

The couple found joy in their shared love of music, converting a room in their home into a studio where they play keyboard and guitar together. They've been married for 40 years and continue making music as their tool for self-expression.

Why This Inspires

Sassano's journey shows how early detection transforms outcomes. Her second cancer required half the treatment of her first because regular screenings caught it while still small.

Now she's using her platform as the 2025 Relay For Life of Blair County ambassador to spread that message. She'll carry the torch at the June 13 event at Mansion Park, encouraging others to stay current with mammograms, colonoscopies, and yearly exams.

Susan Boland, co-chair of the event, said the board chose Sassano because she built her life around not just surviving cancer but thriving afterward. Her story gives others facing uncertain diagnoses something precious: hope.

Sassano is especially focused on her daughter and granddaughters, hoping medical breakthroughs will protect future generations. "Hopefully, in our lifetime, there will be a vaccine," she said.

For now, she's sharing the one tool that worked for her: showing up for screenings, even when life gets busy, even when everything feels fine.