Ann Curry

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As news anchor for NBC's Today, Ann Curry is used to reacting dispassionately to headlines, good and bad. But nothing from her experience prepared her for the shock her younger sister Jean delivered in the winter of 1998. Jean had a large cancerous lump in her breast, and her doctor had recommended a double mastectomy.

"It was devastating," says Curry. "It was the first case of cancer in my family, and we were stunned. I quickly became aware of the experience that a woman goes through when she is diagnosed-the intensity of the fear and the difficulty in making reasoned choices in care because you're so emotional."

Curry and her other sister, Lola, realized they needed to mobilize on Jean's behalf, and for the Emmy award-winning journalist, that meant doing what comes naturally: reporting. While Lola helped Jean get back and forth from doctor's appointments, Curry hit the phones and grilled the most renowned breast cancer specialists she could find to make sure her sister was getting the right treatment.

"I don't ask people for favors because of what I do for a living," she says. "I never use my name to ask for restaurant reservations. But in this case, I did call people and say, 'Look, I need information, and I'm Ann Curry, and I want it now.'"

Inspired by her sister's ordeal, Curry also has increased her efforts on behalf of breast cancer organizations. Not surprisingly, she feels a special affinity for Nancy Brinker, who founded the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in memory of her own sister, a victim of the disease. Last year, Curry was the honorary chair of the survivor celebration at the Komen Foundation's National Race for the Cure in Washington and a presenter for the foundation's annual awards luncheon. She appeared as a panelist on a Larry King Live segment on breast cancer and in public service announcements about early detection. And she has reported extensively on breast cancer for Today.

"It's like a fire," she says. "I want so much to help and do better and do more for these women. I'm always awed the most by the survivors, the growing numbers of them and by the hope and faith they have. They have a great sense of never wanting what happened to them to happen to other people. It's such a beautiful emotion."

Curry wants to prevent other people from enduring the pain her sister suffered. Happily, after a difficult course of treatment that included radiation to shrink the size of the growth, a lumpectomy and chemotherapy, Jean has recovered nicely and been cancer free for a year. "As close as we are as sisters, the three of us are so much closer because of this experience," Curry says.

Brinker is particularly appreciative of Curry's contributions. "Her dedication to the fight against this disease has been constant, passionate and inspirational," she says. "And her impact on breast cancer awareness has been invaluable. A sister's love is not only deep and enduring, but it can also be the force that saves lives."-Sarah Lorge

For information or contributions, write the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, 5005 LBJ Freeway, Suite 250, Dallas, TX 75244, call (800) 462-9273 or visit www.breastcancerinfo.com.