Breast cancer is a terrible disease. Frequently, it takes the ones we love from us far, far too soon. But the happier, flip side is the fact that every day, women are facing down the cancer demon and winning. To celebrate the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, let's meet some of those survivors, hear their stories, and cheer them on.

Lisa Adams is one such woman. She writes an intelligent, insightful blog about her experiences as a breast cancer survivor -- but that's not the whole story. Shortly before she was diagnosed, she gave birth to her third child, who had several physical abnormalities requiring treatment. And her beloved mother-in-law died in a car accident that also severely injured her father-in-law. Through it all, she's found support and clarity in writing about her experiences.

My mother died of breast cancer when I was 16 years old. At this point, it's 17 years later. I am older, wiser, have a family of my own, and have learned to manage my overwhelming grief in a way that makes it not so overwhelming. And yet, even now, I miss her every single day.

Losing a parent at any age is hard, but losing them when you're younger than 20 is a whole other ballgame of pain. Most people don't get that. But kids need their parents for much longer than we think, and I needed my mom still very much when she died. I hate breast cancer for so many things, but stealing my mother's future when she was only 45 is pretty much the most glaring.

It's an awful disease and my fondest dream is that my children will never have to go through what I went through. Additionally, it's something no one who hasn't lost a parent at a young age can ever really get. Sure, it's the "natural order," but for a child, it's much deeper and much more scarring.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month may be coming to an end, but that doesn't mean that the constant influx of information and awareness about the disease should stop. Thanks to modern technology, we all now have a wealth of info about everything, including breast cancer, right at our fingertips. It's all in the applications, my friends!

Of course, checking out some of the most useful breast cancer apps on your mobile device does NOT mean you should stop going to your doctor for regular checkups. However, it is good to know that there are loads of apps that allow women (and men, too!) to learn about the disease, ask questions, and interact.

Here are 5 great breast cancer apps that will be sure to teach you a thing or two:

Breast Cancer Awareness Month may be winding down, but personal breast cancer awareness continues on 24/7/365, and one medical center outside Chicago wants women to know that. In their effort to encourage women to go get their annual mammogram, they've gone so far as to invite women to a party ... a mammogram party. Supposedly, it's a new trend! The thought is that packaging the screening process as a social, fun experience will comfort women who are nervous about having a mammo.

The Joliet, Illinois medical center has been hosting the lady-bonding parties about once a month for the past year, and they make a point to seek out women who have been putting off the test ... which is definitely admirable. Still, I can't help but roll my eyes a bit.

It seems like this year's Breast Cancer Awareness Month has been one of the most successful by far. Everywhere you look, there's PINK and Jennifer Aniston's Ford Cares T-shirt or a bakery donating proceeds from one of their cupcakes to breast cancer research. It's fantastic that the message is being spread so far and wide, and hopefully this means the campaign is accomplishing what it set out to: Encouraging women to get screened frequently and early enough so as to prevent breast cancer.

Although we might feel well-versed on mammograms, here are five not so widely known facts to know and share ...

We all know that if we want to live long and be healthy in those twilight years, we need to eat right and exercise. We know that hot dogs are not our friends, no matter how delicious. And we are all familiar with the elements of a "heart healthy diet."

Even though one isn't usually put on a "cancer prevention" diet without having any cancer diagnosis, the fact is there are some foods that contribute to your odds of getting cancer (think fried and sugar-laden), and specifically breast cancer (like alcohol). Luckily, there are some seriously delicious foods that can help ward off breast cancer as well.

Here are five foods that taste great and can possibly help prevent breast cancer.

Sheryl CrowThe sad truth is breast cancer is one pervasive disease. I won't bore you with all the facts, but it is the most common form of cancer in women, and about 39,520 females die each year from it.

Luckily, it's getting more curable, though. Between the tons of research, early detection (crucial!), and raised awareness, more and more women are coming out the other end as survivors.

Of course we have amazing doctors, scientists, and rich people who donate their cash to the cause to thank for this, but we also have ... celebrities. With their help -- and bravery -- they've made breast cancer awareness more universal than ever.

Here are five celebrities who have changed the face of breast cancer. Thanks, gals.

Will women soon embrace mammograms and other early-detection breast cancer screenings as enthusiastically as they once embraced the "Rachel" haircut?

Let's hope so.

In order to raise awareness for breast cancer and the life-saving benefits of regular mammograms and early detection, Jennifer Aniston (who brought us all that ubiquitous layered hairdo back in her Friends days) recently joined Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius to tour a breast health center in Northern Virginia.

Aniston has clearly taken on the topic of breast cancer of late: Five, a collection of five short films focusing on the impact of breast cancer, in which she was involved as a producer and director, premiered on Lifetime last week, and she seems to be everywhere speaking out to raise awareness.