Faith, family, friends and physicians are the tools of survival for many facing cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society, one out of every two men and one out of every three women will face cancer in their lifetime.

Strengthened by their own success, some survivors continue to devote their time to fighting cancer, hoping their experiences and education will inspire and uplift others.

Below, a few survivors share their stories.

Though Phyllis Schawalder has been cancer-free for about five years, the possibility that it will return is still on her mind.Her key to staying positive is a sense of humor."There's a fine line between being watchful and paranoid," she said. "You have to be able to laugh at yourself.When she was first diagnosed with breast cancer 15 years ago, she described her reaction as shock.Having received the diagnosis just before the Fourth of July, she wondered about her future."At the family picnic I wondered if I'd be there for the next year," she recalled.Today, as an active volunteer with the American Cancer Society and the Butler Breast Cancer Support Group at Butler Memorial Hospital, the disease that threatened her life now fills her days in a positive light.Even after a recurrence of breast cancer several years ago, Schawalder has survived the disease that once terrified her."We have to turn it into something positive in our lives," Schawalder said.Through the support group and the Cancer Society's Reach to Recovery program, Schawalder works with other breast cancer patients, answering questions and providing support for others facing similar problems.

As Don Boardman of Butler Township began recovery from cancer, he felt the need to help others.After being diagnosed with prostate cancer in the fall and having surgery in November, Boardman and other prostate cancer survivors he had met at Christ Community United Methodist Church decided to start their own support group."They were such a great help for me," he said of his fellow church members who answered questions and provided support as Boardman sifted through literature describing his treatment options."You know what paperwork does, it just scares the daylights out of you," he added."They know what it's like to be told you have cancer," said Boardman's wife, Janet.Just days after opting for surgery, Boardman underwent the procedure."It happened quickly, and that's probably good," he said adding he had little time to worry.The surgery was successful, which Boardman attributes to the talent of local doctors and the prayers of his church family.Since the surgery, he has continued seeking guidance as he recovers from the side effects of the procedure.Working with the Cancer Caring Center in Pittsburgh, the comrades also helped to organize the support group, which now meets twice a month at the church."Not everybody is enlarged by difficult experiences in their lives, not everybody grows," said Judy Knapp, the licensed clinical social worker who facilitates the new group. "But the people who come to support groups are actively working on making the best out of what's happened to them."Knapp noted it is not uncommon for survivors to attend support group meetings alongside those still in treatment."There's a very strong task orientation (during treatment)," she said, noting that many patients do not have time to assess their feelings until their treatment is complete.

After having surgery to remove uterine cancer 10 years earlier, Cheryl Schaefer of Center Township was not surprised when breast cancer was found during a regular mammogram.Since the disease has appeared several times in her family, Schaefer was more emotionally ready for the surgery then she was 10 years earlier, when the removal of uterine cancer ruled out the possibility of having more children.While waiting for her surgery, however, she was surprised to find her husband searching the Internet for photos of post-mastectomy patients."He was trying to get a picture of what I would look like after the surgery so that he wouldn't be shocked," she said, adding he was worried he would upset her with his reaction.Soon after her surgery, both Schaefer and her husband began attending the Butler Breast Cancer Support Group at BMH."Our group is so active and positive that they don't care if there's men in the group," said Schawalder, adding it is often difficult for husbands of breast cancer patients to ask their wives or doctors about what to expect."It's harder for families," she said. "They feel helpless; they can't do anything; they can't fix you.In addition to attending support group meetings, Schaefer has become active with the American Cancer Society, participating in the Reach to Recovery Program, the Relay for Life and pushing for legislation that promotes insurance coverage for procedures that may detect cancer earlier.

When he was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 1995, Jim Leslie of New Castle was already an active volunteer for the American Cancer Society.Seven years before, Leslie became involved in the society through his mother-in-law, who volunteered on the committee for a benefit auction in Lawrence County."I think like most people, you hear the word (cancer), and you think 'This is the end,'" he recalled of his initial reaction.Luckily, Leslie's cancer was confined to the kidney and surgery to remove the kidney was the solution."I thank God every day that it was encapsulated (in the kidney)," he said.Continuing his works with the American Cancer Society after his surgery, cancer changed his life again a year and a half ago, when he sold his business to take a full-time position as a community income development specialist with the local chapter of the Cancer Society.

A longtime interest in organic and natural foods gave Dan Daniels of East Butler the education he needed to chose his path for cancer treatment.After the health food group he attended was discontinued, Daniels joined the Freedom of Choice in Cancer Therapy Support Group shortly after its inception 30 years ago.After years of hearing other group members speak of natural treatments for cancer, when Daniels was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1993, his treatment choice was obvious.Despite warnings by his urologist that he would die without traditional medical treatment, Daniels sought out an alternative form of cancer therapy where herbal supplements and a diet consisting mainly of vegetables, fish and poultry are used to heal the body naturally."Am I dead?" Leslie asks today, proudly contradicting his doctor's predictions.Using saliva and urine samples, a doctor specializing in herbal treatments personalized a treatment using numerous supplements, which he takes several times a day using lids from old jars to organize his many doses.In addition to the change in diet, Leslie was also instructed to drink a quart of distilled water and a quart of lemon water mixed with molasses and honey each day. "When you get on this at first it's awful," he said, adding he had to be willing to change his lifestyle.To make the transition easier, Leslie's wife Judith, who is now deceased, followed the same diet.At age 79, Leslie continues to follow the diet and supplement routine. As of his most recent appointment with his urologist, his cancer is gone.Despite the skepticism of others, the retired bricklayer is certain the natural treatment was best for him."Herbs were here to heal us," he said, "but we don't use them anymore.