
My family is indebted to Avon for helping save my life...
These days, Maria da Guarda, now in her sixteenth year as a Representative, doesn’t take much for granted—not her life, her success nor the brochures stuffed inside her shipments of Avon products.
When her usual Avon order arrived in 2003, Maria took the accompanying breast cancer prevention brochure—which outlined self-examination procedures—from the parcel and placed it on her bathroom window. She followed the instructions and, within weeks discovered a lump on her left breast. She spent many sleepless nights worrying that her breast cancer would leave her young daughters, ages one and nine, without a mother. In July 2003, a biopsy confirmed Maria’s worst fears. She traveled to the state capital for surgery followed by intensive chemo and radiotherapy.
Today Maria embraces life more than ever. She continues to work as a Representative and has gone on to pursue other life-long dreams, such as earning a university degree in education. She volunteers in the "Se Liga" (Connect) project, which assists children with learning disabilities. In December 2007, Maria was elected the first Secretary of ACCI (Iporá Association to Combat Breast Cancer). In her new role, Maria visits other women with cancer, giving them words of encouragement and offering financial support. Maria is also writing a book to share the inspiring stories of women who have survived breast cancer.
"My family is indebted to Avon for helping save my life," says Maria. In recognition of her remarkable testimony, Maria received Avon’s global connection pink ribbon—a symbol of her commitment to fighting breast cancer—at Avon’s first Walk Around the World for Breast Cancer event in Brazil.