ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The inside of Laurel Collins' home can feel like a breath of fresh air. It’s filled with love after her family went through a long year.

“I was concerned. I'm like, 'well, do I just, like, live with a cyst forever? Or like, should you check it or like, oh no, you're fine. It's just hormonal. You should be. Don't even worry about it,' ” Collins explained.

After years of advocating for herself at mammograms and ultrasounds, she was concerned about a relentless cyst in her breast. She found it in November 2022, and it went untreated until pain began in April 2024. Her medical team agreed to do a biopsy.

“The next Monday, they called me at work to let me know that I had cancer,” she recalled. “It was kind of upsetting. My son was graduating from high school, and so I was very nervous. I was going to miss all that.”

What You Need To Know

  • Laurel Collins was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer last spring 

  • She encourages other women to advocate for themselves after her concerns were dismissed for more than a year

  • Reimer Home Services recently gave three brand new furnaces to New Yorkers enduring hardships

  • Collins had put her name in the hat at this past year's breast cancer walk, and she couldn't believe she won

  • It provided about eight thousand dollars that her family could put towards medical bills

One call changed the mother of three’s life. Shock took over. Her family started to plan her treatment.

“It was kind of weird in the beginning. I'm not a good person to ask for help so that I think was my biggest challenge for my house was, actually helping me in me asking for help and not feeling guilty about it,” Collins admitted.

She waited for months to get her double mastectomy, and later a reconstruction surgery.

“So yeah, it was a year,” she laughed.

It was another call that came to her family’s rescue.

“Strangely enough, they called me and I didn't even believe that I won. I said, 'oh, sure,' I don't, you know, you think it's like a prank call, like, no, you really won. I’m like, 'I won a furnace?' They’re like 'yeah.' I go, 'a real furnace? Like it’s not just a coupon?' And sure enough, it was really, I really won,” Collins said.

Reimer Home Services donated three new furnaces to individuals across the state going through hardships.

“Reimer has had a bit of a long-standing partnership with the American Cancer Society and, you know, the reason a lot of us got into this business is to serve others, serve our communities. And being able to give a furnace away, which is such a critical piece of equipment in one’s home to individuals who have faced some adversity, is really meaningful to us. And it was a very rewarding thing that we were able to do,” said Shaun Looney, general manager of Reimer.

Collins was the only winner from Rochester. She signed herself up to be considered for the donation at this past year's Breast Cancer Walk.

“The reason a lot of us got into this business is to serve others, serve our communities. And being able to give a furnace away, which is such a critical piece of equipment in one’s home to individuals who have faced some adversity, is really meaningful to us,” Looney explained. “It’s one of those things you don't think about until it is not working. And then you feel it and it's all you think about. So being able to give her this new energy efficient, awesome furnace and know that she doesn't need to worry about it. That’s one less worry in life where you’ve got some bigger things to worry about right now.”

Collins says her family didn’t realize their previous furnace was already 24 years old. The new, free appliance meant there was about $8,000 that Collins' family could put towards her medical bills.

“It’s great! Especially on these cold days ... has been the coldest winters I feel like in the past two months. So I’m glad that we have it to keep warm,” Collins said.