Every community has certain people who make a difference. Whether it’s in their volunteer efforts, their financial donations and the like, so many are who do so much and often go below the radar of their own volition.
In West Hudson, one such person is Emma Quintana, of Kearny, a woman who fought — and defeated — breast cancer two decades ago.
That time period was one of the most difficult for Emma. There were so many unknowns. Could she defeat this hideous disease? Would her family be there to support her?
Fortunately, the answer to both was “yes.”
But you see, Emma didn’t just beat breast cancer — she took what she experienced and turned it into one of the most noted, successful cancer support groups, Mujeres Valientes, or Brave Women, in the area.
The group is designed for anyone, of any gender, who has experienced the effects of breast cancer, as a patient or as the loved one of a patient (despite the group’s name.) At first, they met at the former West Hudson Hospital. When the hospital closed, meetings moved to East Newark.
To this very day, scores of people have been able to meet, talk, express the emotions of suffering from breast cancer. And because Emma decided that it wasn’t enough just to conquer breast cancer, so many people’s lives have been made better because of her efforts.
In the coming days, when you see pink ribbons tied on many trees in West Hudson, stop for a moment. Think of Emma.
Then recall 12% of all women will develop breast cancer in their lifetimes. Know in 2021, “an estimated 276,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S.” Then realize what Emma does is priceless. We know we couldn’t be more grateful.
Editor’s note: This editorial first ran one year ago. We believe it bears repeating annually.
Learn more about the writer ...
Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.