NEWNAN, Ga. — Sonia Ray believes every step she takes has a purpose, including the ones that push her forward and the ones that hold her back.
"In 2011, at the age of 34, I was diagnosed with stage 3B (breast cancer)," Ray said. "My kids were 3 and 5, and they were my reason for fighting."
Armed for her battle with breast cancer, Ray endured a double mastectomy, two years of chemotherapy and 33 rounds of radiation. She even conquered a second bout with the disease a few years after her first diagnosis.
“I had a recurrence on the lymph nodes in the throat. I was told to go home and put my things in order," Ray said. "But I trusted in my faith in God. I had a promise from the Lord, Psalm 128:6, that I was going to live to see my children's children - and here I am. It's come to pass, even in the midst of both battles."
Ray has since founded Harbor of Hope, a nonprofit that helps arm minority women on the south side of Atlanta with the tools they need in their own battles with cancer. During Ray's early days fighting the disease, her husband researched and found City of Hope Atlanta, a cancer treatment center which guided the mother of two through recovery.
Dr. Anita Johnson, chief of surgery at City of Hope, said Black and Hispanic women get diagnosed with breast cancer at about the same rate as white women, but they die at a rate that's 40 percent more than their white counterparts.
"Sometimes, we get diagnosed at a much later stage, access to care, insurance issues, several initiatives, and then unfortunately, Black and Hispanic women are diagnosed with some of the most aggressive cancers," Johnson said. "Breast cancer treatment has evolved at every level, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. So the outcomes, as well as the side effects and treatments, we’re focused on all of those so women can have a better experience.”
The next step for Ray involves sharing her gift, her message of hope, for people on the national stage over 2,000 miles away in Pasadena, California. Ray will serve as one of several cancer survivors on the City of Hope float at the annual Rose Parade. This will mark the 50th time that City of Hope has participated in the iconic New Year's Day tradition.
"It's a hard journey to lose your hair, to lose your breasts, to look in the mirror and not recognize who you are," Ray said. "Financially, it's draining, even if you have insurance."
Despite those battles, she won, she said.
"With this experience, I feel like I can step on cancer, like I can tell it 'you didn't get me.' It was just like a stepping stone to be able to get the message out there of awareness, of early detection," she said.
Now she wants to help others win their battles too.
"Somebody was there to help me in my journey. So I want to be there for those coming behind me. I want them to see me healthy and whole. In the way that I look now, they can also overcome," she said.
Where to watch Rose Parade
People can watch Shania Ray march during the parade. Multi-award winning performer Audra McDonald will serve as grand marshal.
- When: Jan. 1
- Parade theme: "Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language"
- Watch: 11Alive, NBC
- Time: 11 a.m. ET
- Stream it: Peacock