Real Men Wear Pink: Joe San Agustin

We at KUAM are wearing pink...that's because today is Think Pink Day and the reason why we choose to acknowledge it on October 22nd is because it's our office manager Christie San Agustin's birthday, and she happens to be a breast cancer survivor.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and tonight, we kick off our five part series, introducing you to some of the candidates for American Cancer Society's "Real Men Wear Pink" campaign, which aims to raise funds and awareness towards their mission. Up first, is Christie's husband Joe San Agustin.

Meet Joe. "I wear the pink in support of breast cancer awareness. My wife Christie is a survivor as well as my sister Zita. They are both survivors, they are true warriors." Joe's oldest sister Zita was diagnosed back in 2012 and his wife, Christie in 2013. It is for them that he is one of eight candidates participating in the Real Men Wear Pink campaign.

He recalled, "When my sister had breast cancer, it was almost a year to the date when we found out about Christie. And when my sister was going through her series of treatments, I don't know maybe I was in denial, I couldn't quite put it in perspective until my wife was diagnosed. This was reality."

According to Joe, it hit home really hard. His mind filled with questions about life and what the  future had in store for his family...especially for Christie. "What am I gonna do? What are we gonna do? There's so much more that we need to do for each other, as a family," he shared.

It was a test that not only made them stronger but also tightened the family bond. "Being the strong person that my wife is, she was like- we're going to get through this, we'll do the tests, do whatever we need to do, in order to get through this," he said.

Five years later, his wife remains cancer-free. His big sister, six years. As a caregiver, he is proud to be a part of the Real Men Wear Pink campaign. "Live your life," he said. "Be surrounded by the positive energy that you get from your family. Treasure every moment."

"And don't ever lose faith."