Diahann Carroll, the first African-American performer to have her own TV series, was 63 years old when a routine mammogram found breast cancer in 1998. The tumor was less than a centimeter in size and was successfully removed via a lumpectomy. Carroll credits the mammogram for catching her cancer early. "Fear of the unknown is a deterrent for some women," said Carroll. "But I had to realize that knowing what is happening in my body is far preferable to wondering what might be happening. The simple truth is that regular screening saved my life—period."

Betsey Johnson may be known for her loud clothes, but this New York designer kept quiet after discovering a small lump in her breast when one of her saline implants deflated during a massage. At first, Johnson only told her daughter Lulu, worried about jeopardizing her business. But eventually she began using her business to support the fight against breast cancer, designing tees that would be sold to raise money for research and awareness. "With over 3 million women battling breast cancer today, everywhere you turn there is a mother, daughter, sister, or friend who has been affected by breast cancer," said Johnson. "This is a great opportunity for me to put my design style to work in raising funds for something so important."

Yes, men get breast cancer, too. Richard Roundtree, best known for his role as detective John Shaft in the 1970s action film Shaft, found a lump in his right breast in 1993. "I'm a hypochondriac," he said. "As soon as I felt the lump I immediately went to my doctor." Roundtree received chemotherapy, radiation and a mastectomy to beat his breast cancer. Initially, he says, the most difficult part of being ill was hiding it from the entertainment industry. "No insurance company would insure me if they found out. And in order to work on a film, you need the stamp of approval from an insurance company. So unfortunately I had to keep it a secret."

When Gloria Steinem discovered a pea-size lump above her right breast she was living a frantic life, having not stayed in the same town for more than eight days during the previous 15 years. A mammogram failed to detect the cancerous cells inside the lump, but a year later her doctor removed it anyway—just to be safe—and discovered it was indeed cancer. Steinem says she expected the worse, but a lymph-node sample confirmed that the tumor was self-contained. The only thing she was left with was a one-inch scar. "My experience was so much less than what most women go through,” Steinem told People. But it still scared her into making changes, such as becoming a vegetarian, taking up yoga and scheduling vacations. "I think the art of life is not controlling what happens," she says, "but using it."

In 1987, when a routine mammogram detected what was later diagnosed as breast cancer in First Lady Nancy Reagan, she chose to have a mastectomy over a lumpectomy. The decision was controversial at the time but Reagan defended it, telling Barbara Walters during an interview: ''I couldn't possibly lead the kind of life I lead, and keep the schedule that I do, having radiation or chemotherapy. There'd be no way. Maybe if I'd been 20 years old, hadn't been married, hadn't had children, I would feel completely differently. But for me it was right.''

The Good Morning America co-host didn’t expect that one day she would become a news story. In 2007, Roberts announced she was diagnosed with the disease and would begin treatment. She not only continued to co-anchor GMA, but openly shared her experiences for viewers to see, including her celebratory final day of chemotherapy. In 2009 Roberts lent her support to the fight by appearing as a guest announcer for a special Grand Ole Opry country music show Opry Goes Pink to promote research on the disease. Roberts, who first found a lump in her breast, has said, "I can’t express how important it is to do self breast exams."