If one step begins the journey of a thousand miles, Mary Watson-Ellyson hopes a pill will start her on the road to breast cancer prevention — and peace of mind for women everywhere.

Watson-Ellyson is participating in the STAR (Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene) trial. The National Cancer Institute-funded study will determine which is the best drug to prevent breast cancer in women at high risk. M. D. Anderson is one of 400 centers participating in the trial.

“Breast cancer crosses my mind several times a month, usually when I hear of a friend or co-worker who has been diagnosed,” says Watson-Ellyson, who was saddened when a 36-year-old co-worker died of breast cancer recently.

“Whenever a friend is diagnosed with breast cancer, I always think, ‘why them?’” says the 57-year-old Continental Airlines ticket agent, who is on special assignment in the airline’s President’s Club in Houston.

Watson-Ellyson’s reason for participating in the STAR trial is quite simple: “This research gives us hope.”

“Sitting around worrying is worse for you. My attitude is that I’m not going to get breast cancer,” adds the mother of three grown sons. Her husband, Hershel, and sons support her decision to help researchers continue their efforts to combat breast cancer.

Watson-Ellyson is eligible to participate in the STAR trial because researchers have determined that she is at high risk of developing breast cancer. In addition to Watson-Ellyson’s mother being diagnosed with breast cancer at age 62, her sister developed breast cancer at age 47, and died at age 52.

“Breast cancer scares me a lot more for my five nieces than for me. My sister had breast cancer before menopause,” she says, aware that heredity plays a bigger part in breast cancer risk for women diagnosed before menopause.

True to her upbeat, positive demeanor, Watson-Ellyson says she feels lucky that she hasn’t developed breast cancer.

She actively takes charge of her health by participating in regular cancer screening examinations.

“I’ve always gone for yearly mammograms. Following my hysterectomy, I had Pap tests every six months. I’ve participated in breast cancer screening for nearly 20 years. I’ve always been health-conscious. In the early 1970s, my doctor recommended that I become active in screening exams,” she says.

Participating in breast cancer research was a natural step for Watson-Ellyson.

“Years ago when I joined the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial (a study that examined the benefits of tamoxifen in breast cancer prevention), I felt like it was my contribution to womankind,” she says.

Now as a participant in STAR, Watson-Ellyson reaches for the pills that give her hope — hope for herself, her nieces and women everywhere.

— Alison Ruffin