CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A cancer survivor says her faith and her loved ones helped her during her journey.

Julie Logan was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. She was 36 years old at the time and she remembers going through chemotherapy was difficult.

“It just zaps you, but by the time you start feeling better, it’s time to go to another treatment. It’s like a rollercoaster ride,” Logan said.


What You Need To Know

  • Julie Logan was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004

  • The cancer survivor said her loved ones and her faith kept her strong

  • 17 years after her diagnosis, Logan opened a popcorn shop

She also underwent a mastectomy.

“At the beginning, it can be challenging. You start looking down on yourself because you don’t have your natural breast or your hair,” Logan said.

She says positive people around her helped her through her treatment.

“At the end of the day, when you realize that you are still alive, that you can still tell your story and that you can help someone along your journey, that helps me understand. I’m not my breast and I’m not my hair and I plan to live,” Logan said.

She also says her faith also grew stronger during her journey.

“Some people would probably ask the question, 'Why me? Why am I going through this journey?' My thought to myself was why not me? What makes me any different to anybody else. It’s just how I approach it,” Logan said.

She keeps a caricature with the words ‘I am a survivor’ as a reminder of her journey. She also keeps her medal from Tri It for Life, a triathlon she participated in 2016.

“Reminds me every day when I walk through here, you’re a survivor. It has been 17 years,” Logan said.

Logan is a fan of popcorn. She's since opened a popcorn shop called Popcorn Heaven- Steele Creek in Charlotte.

“I love popcorn. I can eat it breakfast, lunch and dinner,” Logan said.

She added it was also crucial for her when she had financial concerns.  

“I always had enough to find something to eat and popcorn has always been my saving grace,” Logan said.

Logan, who goes by the nickname "Popcorn Lady," is happy to have opened her business earlier this year. She says being a cancer survivor made her more confident of starting in the midst of a pandemic.

“It just helped me to take a little bit more risk because life is too short,” Logan said.

Popcorn Heaven-Steele Creek is her first brick and mortar. She’s also the founder of an empowerment initiative called I am HER Too and an executive meeting and event management business called JLogan & Company.