My Tipping Point

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How do you finally find the wherewithal to reduce a personal health risk, banish a persistent fear or kick a bad habit? Six women reveal their "it" moments. .

"I STOOD UP TO MY DOCTOR."
Frances Masterman, 51, Chesterton, Indiana "In august of 2004, I was invited to a networking breakfast. I went in assuming the talk would be boring: The keynote speakers were a cervical cancer survivor and an ob-gyn. Instead, it turned out to be the most important meeting of my life. The speakers explained why women should request tests for the human papillomavirus [HPV] along with their Pap smears. Although HPV is the top cause of cervical cancer, I'd never even heard of it.

"At my next gynecologist appointment, I requested the HPV test, but my nurse practitioner said it was unnecessary unless my Pap came back abnormal. I insisted. She protested, saying they'd have to charge extra, and like a broken record, I kept telling her, "I want the test," until she finally ordered it.

"It turned out the lab didn't test for HPV because my Pap was normal; I had to request it a second time. When the results came in, the nurse practitioner and my doctor were shocked: I had, in fact, tested positive for HPV and my Pap test had failed to identify my increased risk. Now I am being monitored more closely to make sure any cervical changes are caught before they become cancerous. You'd better believe I ask questions when I'm at the doctor's office now. Demanding that HPV test just might have saved my life."

"FINALLY, I QUIT SMOKING!"
Rosemary Sundin, 43, Edina, Minnesota "I started smoking when I was 14. Both my parents smoked, so there was always a pack around, and it was easy to sneak one. In my early thirties, I stopped for nine years, but then I used my divorce as an excuse to have an occasional smoke; within six months, I was up to two packs a day.

"You would think that my terrible family history would have helped me to kick ash: My dad died at 55 after a long struggle with cancer. Even though I knew smoking killed him, I comforted myself after his death with cigarettes. Two years ago, my 42-year-old sister had a massive stroke that completely wiped out her ability to speak. Her smoking was a major contributor, but it still didn't scare me straight. It's amazing how much I convinced myself that the consequences of smoking wouldn't happen to me.

"I had my epiphany in January 2005, when my 13-year-old was home sick, I'd just had a cigarette and I went into her room to check on her and give her a hug. Wailing, "Momma, you stick!," she sat up in the bed and pushed me away. It hit me: I had put my stinky habit before my desire to be a good parent. The plaintive note in her voices is what finally did it. I went cold turkey but QuitNet.com an online top-smoking support site, was a huge help. I checked the message boards multiple times a day for the first six months to get encouragement from other quitters, and I still log on two or three times a week. Every day, I recommit to not smoking. I do it for my sister, my father and, of course, my kids."

"I CONQUERED MY FEAR OF HEIGHTS."
Lorie Rosenberg, 50, Raleigh, North Carolina "For the past 15 years, my family has vacationed at a Club Med where they feature a trapeze apparatus. Even though I'd always had an adventurous spirit, my fear of heights kept me grounded all those vacations.

"A few years ago, I suddenly had enough of sulking on the sidelines while my husband and kids twirled through the air 24 feet above me. But instead of bullying myself up, I coaxed myself; 'If I can get up there, I can stand next to the cute trapeze instructors.' I got in line at the bottom of the platform and slooowly climbed the narrow metal ladder, trying not to think about the line forming behind me. When I got to the top, I refused to look down while the instructors hooked the safety line to my belt. 'Now just lean forward,' one said.

"It was a now-or-never moment: I grabbed the swing and stepped one foot out into the clear blue nothing, and the next thing I knew, I was off-flying through the air, screaming the whole way. When I dropped to the net beneath the trapeze, I knew I had to get up there again to beat this fear. I've been back on the bar several times since then, and I'm still afraid every time I climb that ladder. But you know what the experience taught me? Just being afraid of something doesn't mean it should stop you."

"I DISCOVERED MY BICEPPS AND BEGAN LOVING MY BODY."
Suzy Allegra, 56, Phoenix, Arizona "About two years ago, I received a brochure in the mail about a local indoor rock-climbing class for women. I was drawn to it for some reason, even though I'd always seen myself as a bit of a wimp. And, I mean, rock climbing? I'm far from outdoorsy-my idea of roughing it is when a room service is late. After staring at the brochure for a month, I concluded that my intuition was trying to tell me something, so I went for it.