The diagnosis of cancer can be terrifying, but it?s no longer an automatic death sentence. A White Plains woman is living proof that a good attitude can help in beating the disease. Last June, Carla Iarocci found a lump in her breast. A month later, she got the official diagnosis and by August she had a double mastectomy at the Ashikari Cancer Center at Dobbs Ferry Hospital. Iarocci then had eight chemotherapy treatments from August through early December that took a toll on her body.

The 42-year-old mother of two knew she was at risk for breast cancer, as her mother died from the disease. However, she explained to her young daughter that even though she has cancer she doesn?t have to be afraid of it.

?Never for a moment did I think that a full recovery wasn't in my cards,? says Iarocci.

It was that positive attitude and the support of her friends and family that helped her through her recovery. Iarocci manages the family business at Gedney Farms Nursery and missed only four days of work through it all. She says she has used her own positive attitude to model an important life lesson for her daughter if she ever faces the same challenge one day.

Iarocci also credits the support she got from Gilda?s Club in White Plains, a non-profit center that has free support groups for those affected by cancer. The center was named after comedienne Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer in 1989. Gilda's Club