It was an October morning in 1992 when 33-year-old Elizabeth "Betsy" Mullen received the phone call that changed her life. Her doctor was on the line with the results of her biopsy. The diagnosis was breast cancer.

    As Mullen recalls, "I felt like I was hit by a freight train."

    That was the first blow. The second came when she walked out of her doctor's office scared and confused because she was given no written information on which to base the life-and-death treatment decisions she was being pressured to make: Should she have just the lump removed, or the entire breast? And what type of chemotherapy was best?

    Terrified of making the wrong decision, she picked up her phone and began calling doctor after doctor.

    "It was my way of taking a situation that felt absolutely out of my control and gaining some control and power in deciding what was going to happen to me," she said.

    In searching for answers she discovered that her experience was not uncommon among women diagnosed with breast cancer. This takes on greater significance considering that, according to the American Cancer Society, each year 183,000 new breast cancer cases are diagnosed and 46,000 women die of it.

    Many organizations exist to provide treatment information and psychosocial support to help women face their illness with confidence rather than being paralyzed by fear.

    The problem lies in linking the resources with the women who need them. Many doctors are in the dark as to what's available.

    To serve as the vital link between women and resources, Mullen founded WIN Against Breast Cancer, a project of Community Partners. The acronym WIN stands for Women's Information Network. In giving lectures and sending mailings, Mullen provides support to women with breast cancer.

    "I am devoting my life to helping other women with breast cancer to spare them from unnecessary fear and frustration," she said.

    Mullen does her work commuting between Covina, her hometown where she has set up a satellite office, and San Diego, where she lives with her husband, Ken, and her cat. Her work has been praised by both health care professionals and cancer survivors.

    Recently WIN was awarded an $87,000 grant. The organization's proposed projects include the development and distribution of a breast health/breast cancer resource list and newsletter, and the production of a video featuring a "live" breast examination and breast reconstruction patients.

    One project close to Mullen's heart is the development of a breast buddy program. At the time of diagnosis, a woman will be paired with a breast cancer survivor to provide the support and guidance that only someone who has been in the same situation can offer.

    In her own treatment Mullen opted to have a mastectomy followed by an immediate reconstruction enabling her to awaken from surgery with a natural looking reconstructed breast in place of the removed breast. She wants women to be aware that this may be an option for them.

    Her prognosis is good, but Mullen must be ever vigilant. Every four months she has blood work, every six months a mammogram and every year a bone scan.

    Doctors have advised her against having children.

    Her husband, her high school sweetheart, has stood by her every step of the way. She is upbeat about the unexpected turn her life has taken.

    "I think I'm better than ever," she said.

    "I've got a great purpose in the organization. Ken and I may not be able to have kids, but this organization is my baby. It's my child and we're going to nurture it and as long as there's a breath left in this body we re going to help other people."