Pearl Carter has taken something bad and turned it into something good.

The 20-year cancer survivor serves as a counselor for other patients and fights in Washington, D.C., for funding research and opposing bills that could reduce access to cancer treatment.

“When I had cancer, it was a rude awakening,” Carter said. “It really changed my view on things, and I wanted to learn about cancer and the fight.”

In September, she’ll head to D.C. again, this time to push for increased cancer research funding at an annual rally called Celebration on the Hill.

She will lobby for further government support as the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network representative for the 2nd Congressional District, a title she received earlier this summer.

In the years since her breast cancer diagnosis in 1990, six of Carter’s nine siblings have succumbed to the disease.

“We’ve learned to be a support group for each other,” Carter said. “We’ve supported each other every time and continue to support each other now.”

Because of her personal experience with cancer and the experiences of those around her, Carter decided to get more involved the fight against the disease, becoming a volunteer with the American Cancer Society, landing her the role she has today.

“After my breast cancer counseling, my counselor encouraged me to become a volunteer, and that just got the ball rolling,” Carter said.

Since, Carter has served as a counselor in breast cancer support groups such as Sisters By Choice, open to anyone who has been affected by cancer. Carter is also active with Look Good…Feel Better, a public service program that teaches women beauty techniques to boost self-confidence while undergoing cancer treatment.

“There is no doubt about it that this is my life’s calling,” Carter said. “I do a lot of volunteering, but the American Cancer Society is always at the top. I sometimes think God allowed me to have cancer so that I can do the work I am doing now.”

Carter, 73, has two daughters and two grandsons. She was cancer-free until last January, when she was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, though she does not require treatment.

“I was told that if you’re going to have leukemia,” she said, “this is the kind to have.”

All of her siblings but one are now cancer free.

Carter’s daughter Angela was 21 years old in 1990, when her mother was first diagnosed with breast cancer.

“It was very difficult and hard to see my mother ill,” she said.

Angela Carter said she admires her mother’s strength.

“I’m very proud of her,” she said. “I saw just how strong she can be, and I am just proud of all the work she’s done.”