She and her husband had met as students at the University of Houston and still had friends here. Buoyed by that support, they moved back at the end of 1998. Since her cancer was diagnosed, Hinaman has been constantly reminded that she is not alone, even within her family. Alan Hinaman's sister, Debi Long, was diagnosed six months after Hinaman. She was 35.
Breast cancer is less common in younger women, but it is more likely to be aggressive.
Long left her home in Austin and lived with the Hinamans for a year while undergoing treatment in Houston. She died in June, leaving two sons, ages 14 and 2. So Hinaman feels doubly driven to tell both her story and Long's, to get across the message that there is hope, but also an urgent need for more research. The fact that 41,000 women, including Debi, are going to die this year is unacceptable. Return to top Click on banner for more information Sunday, October 14th.