10/21/2026
Meet Sierria Echon, whose story reminds us why we come together for Breast Cancer Awareness Month 💗
Behind this event is a story and a family. This month, we’re honored to share Sierria’s story and bring our community together in support of her and her families battle with breast cancer.
Read her story below 🎗️
My name is Sierria, and my family and I have been blessed to call Johnstown home for many years. While I grew up in eastern Pennsylvania, moving here changed the course of my life in ways I never could have imagined. Here, I met my husband, Peet. When we met, Bella was just seven years old, and over the years we became a family. We were married, welcomed our daughters Mary and Prudence, and eventually purchased the home where we're making so many of our family's memories.
Throughout those years, we worked hard to build the life we dreamed of. My husband earned his nursing degree and now works overnight in the Intensive Care Unit at Conemaugh Medical Center, caring for some of the sickest patients in our community. As our family grew, we decided I would stay home with our girls while continuing to work as a freelance bookkeeper. It wasn't always the easiest path, but we chose it together because family has always been at the center of everything we do.
Then, life changed in an instant.
After discovering a lump, I found myself on a whirlwind journey of appointments, imaging, biopsies, scans, and countless conversations with doctors. Eventually, we heard the words no one ever expects to hear: *"You have breast cancer."* It's difficult to explain how quickly that one word changes everything. The fear, the uncertainty, and the endless "what ifs" can easily become overwhelming.
Even in those first moments, however, one thing was certain in my heart: I was willing to do whatever needed to be done. Every treatment. Every appointment. Every difficult decision. My goal has always been to give myself the very best chance to be here for as long as possible—to watch my daughters grow up, to continue building a life with my husband, and to reduce the chances of ever having to walk this road again.
This journey has reminded me just how precious ordinary life truly is. The simple moments—family dance parties, bedtime stories, quiet evenings at home—are the moments I treasure most. While cancer has become part of our story, it does not define our family. We continue to choose hope over fear, gratitude over discouragement, and faith that brighter days are ahead.
We are incredibly thankful for the love, prayers, and support we've received from our family, friends, and the Johnstown community. Every encouraging message, every kind gesture, and every prayer has reminded us that we are not walking this journey alone. We know challenges still lie ahead, but we also know we face them surrounded by people who genuinely care.
Our story is still being written, and we believe many beautiful chapters are yet to come.
