For Clinton resident Lynae Slinden, the year 2000 was more than the beginning of a new millennium. It was the year she would celebrate her 50th birthday, the year she could finally and confidently say she survived breast cancer, and it was the beginning of a new and fearless adventure.

When Slinden was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995, she was working as an ultrasound, mammogram and x-ray technician. A mammogram she had received two years prior had failed to reveal the already-present cancerous cells and the disease was aggressively developing.

“You realize, as soon as [you are diagnosed] that it is a life-changing event,” she said. “And it was, for me and for the people who were sharing my life.”

Slinden said that she was suddenly faced with “compromising decisions” such as whether she would keep her house, and considerations such as whether she would be there to raise her 15-year-old daughter Tara, whose stepmother was also diagnosed with breast cancer soon afterward.

Amidst the whirlwind of uncertainty and physical and psychological pain, Slinden remained steadfast and fought the disease with every element of medical artillery, from chemotherapy and surgery to radiation.

Throughout her battle, Slinden said she regarded her daughter as a source of inspiration and received overwhelming support from family, friends, neighbors, her medical team and even strangers.

“There wasn’t any one [person or helping factor]. That’s part of the beauty of it,” she said, adding that since her own struggle, she has witnessed instances in which numerous individuals in a person’s network will come to their side in a time of need. “It is a wonderful cultural thing,” she said.

According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2014, there were 232,670 women and 2,360 men diagnosed with breast cancer. Approximately 40,000 breast cancer patients have died in 2014.

The 5-year anniversary is generally accepted by the National Cancer Institute as the point in time at which a person may be granted a cancer-free diagnosis after battling the disease.

However, for many survivors the effects of cancer remain for a lifetime.

“I don’t know if you ever beat it,” she said, explaining with an analogy that she views hardships as something to be sealed in a jar, placed on a shelf, not to be looked at every day, but to remind a person of life’s preciousness.

Just last year, Tara Slinden’s stepmother passed away after being re-diagnosed with breast cancer after several years. Slinden said that although the threat of recurrence is not always at the forefront of one’s mind, these losses are a reminder of life’s preciousness.

“There are a lot of really wonderful things to do, so don’t waste your time waiting to do them,” said Slinden. “Open yourself to your own character. Get to know yourself and live your own life.”

For many survivors, reaching the five-year mark grants the opportunity for the individual and his or her family to breathe a collective sigh of relief. For Slinden, who has now been without cancer for nearly 20 years, it was also the point at which she gained her second wind, proclaiming her resolute unwillingness to let another day slip by unfulfilled.

Within the year, Slinden embarked on the ancient 400-mile, month-long pilgrimage known as the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. She had come across the trek in a waiting room magazine during her treatment, and revered the photographs of Spain’s majestic architecture and awesome natural beauty as well as the pilgrimage’s centuries-old origins, dating prior to the year 1100.

“It seemed like a good way to start a new beginning, along the path that so many people had walked,” she said.

Although she arrived with limited Spanish vocabulary and no prior overseas experience, she completed the journey feeling as though she had gained a broader understanding of the world and had become more connected with herself and with humanity.

“It is an elation. You feel like you have really made a major personal accomplishment,” she said. “It is empowering.”

Since 2000, Slinden has also served as an elected Port of South Whidbey commissioner, helping to build Clinton Beach Park and to preserve Saratoga Woods, among other projects. She also obtained a master’s degree in 2009.

“Having cancer makes you free to do what you wouldn’t  naturally do,” she said. “It pushes you … things that I would have put off, it was time to do them.”

About two years ago, Slinden embarked on yet another international journey, this time to Novoukrainka, Ukraine.

Novoukrainka translates to “new Ukrainian woman,” a fitting title coinciding with Slinden’s personal growth within the borders of the small Eastern European town.

For decades, Slinden explained, citizens of the developing Ukraine have struggled to distinguish themselves from Russia, to slip from behind the previously insulated iron curtain and become visible as a country rich in culture and perseverance.

While in Ukraine, Slinden worked to increase the standard of living and develop stronger communities.

“There were a lot of really negative things that happened in that country for a long time. …People live amongst the ruins,” she said, explaining that in many areas there is no running water, electricity or sewer.

“I think surviving any illness or any challenging situation, you grow and become more resilient to things that challenge your abilities,” she said, adding that her experience taught her the ways in which individuals and their struggles are more similar than different. “After completing the treatments and surviving, and becoming part of the world again, you have more self confidence to go out and meet challenges.”

She noted that it is important for those struggling with cancer or any other hardship to recognize that it is only a single facet of themselves. A person is so much more than their illness, their hinderance or their position, she said, adding that it is also essential for family and friends to realize the same.

A little over a year ago, Slinden was hired as director of Senior Services of Island County’s South Whidbey Center in Bayview, helping seniors to lead fulfilling lives.

“I am working with people who are in the phase of their life when they get to finally do something creative and fun,” she said, explaining that, in addition to care services such as Meals on Wheels, some of the activities available at the center include trips to Costa Rica and Ireland, art and reader’s theater classes and discussion groups.

“Those are the things that make life worthwhile,” said Slinden. “It’s not just survival, it’s actually participating in positive parts of life.”