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Jim Valvano's Daughter Diagnosed With Breast Cancer

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RALEIGH, N.C. — There is another cancer battle in Jim Valvano's family. Nick Valvano, Jim's brother, confirms his 33-year-old niece, Jamie Valvano Howard, has breast cancer.

Jimmy V Foundation

Breast Cancer: An Inside Look

"Your first reaction is, 'Can't we catch a break?' You wouldn't be human if you didn't say, 'Why me?'" he said.

Nick Valvano is now the CEO of

The V Foundation

-- a bittersweet place to be since it reminds him daily of his brother, but yet because of the cancer research it sponsors and awareness it raises, it could save his niece's life.

"He's going to save his daughter's life by triggering that kind of education, but we haven't cried any less because of that," Nick Valvano said.

Jim Valvano died in 1993 after his battle with cancer. In an article about her father, Jamie writes: "He knew his body would lose the battle, but his vibrant spirit was the gift he would leave behind."

"It's an amazing outpouring of support that we get, and we just want to thank everybody," Nick Valvano said.

Jamie Valvano Howard is recovering from surgery. Family members said her outlook is good. Coincidentally, she was waiting to find out if the lump in her breast was cancerous the very weekend she was helping with the Jimmy V Celebrity Golf Classic in August. That event raised $11 million toward cancer research.

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