CHARLOTTE, N.C. — About 1 in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S., according to breastcancer.org.

This month we recognize breast cancer awareness as countless women battle the disease.

“I’ve been doing this for 24 years,” spa owner Corie Dulkin said.

Before the facials and massages, Dulkin grew up in a much different setting.

“I was a medic in the military, and I had a pretty rough upbringing, and so I joined the service right out of high school,” Dulkin said.

It was her time serving that she realized her life was meant to serve a greater purpose.

“I just fell in love with caregiving. You know, I realized that that was a big part of what my spirit was calling me to do,” Dulkin said.

It was that intuition that opened Nature’s Spa and Wellness in Charlotte.

But her life completely changed in April 2021.

“I kind of left my body, and I went back, and I said, ‘hey, I just got the phone call and I have cancer,'” Dulkin said.

Her diagnosis came with emotions, hair loss, intense treatment and self-realization.

“I never knew how much they suffered. You know, I never knew the chemo and the shots to build up your white blood cells the next day and the nausea and just the daunting, day-after-day appointments,” Dulkin said.

After personal experience she wanted to give back to the breast cancer community.

She’s now giving out free services to patients and survivors that are matched through donations.

As she flips through old photos, it’s a reminder that while she’s a survivor, others are still struggling, and she wants to be a beacon of hope for them.

“But it was also a challenge that I grew from, and I wouldn’t wish it on anybody, but I definitely want to be a source if somebody does go through it,” Dulkin said.

Dulkin says she’s partnered with Carolina Breast Friends to give out free massages and facials. Submissions are picked randomly and throughout the year.