Mom, 46, Had Stomach Removed to Prevent Cancer, Is Now Training for a Marathon

Lucy Guerrero, 46, of Upland, California, has endured a lifetime of loss to aggressive cancers. The mom of four lost an older sister and brother to stomach cancer early in her life. And in 2006, Guerrero’s oldest sister also developed stomach cancer — and had genetic testing done. “When they caught her cancer, it was already too late,” Guerrero, who works for a mental health nonprofit, tells TODAY.com. “She also passed away within the year.” But before she died, she told the family that she carried an inherited genetic mutation that raised the risk for certain cancers. That revelation would lead Guerrero to undergo a major preventive surgery, which left her relearning how to eat and exercise without a stomach. Now, just a few years after her stomach removal, Guerrero is gearing up to run her first marathon.