Gila (hard ‘g’, rhymes with ‘Mila’) Pfeffer is an essayist and humor writer who only recently became comfortable admitting that she grew up in Staten Island. She is a breast cancer previvor and survivor which is nothing compared to the daily challenges she faces raising four teenagers. For tongue-in-cheek monthly reminders to do a breast self-exam, please visit @gilapfeffer. You can find more of her writing on her website The Mom Who Knew Too Much and she is currently at work on a collection of personal essays about surviving devastating losses with her chutzpah and sense of humor intact.