People are often surprised to discover that Sandy Maniscalco never had cancer. She's often asked if she's a breast cancer survivor. If not, some wonder, why on earth does she devote so much time to helping find a cure?

Her response is simple: It needs to get done and she can do it.

It wasn't what she imagined for her retirement. She originally planned a life of leisure, one where she would travel with her husband, Phil. But when a close friend was diagnosed with breast cancer and began her battle for life, Maniscalco battled beside her. And when that friend died, Maniscalco's passion for fitness and inspiring others drove her to continue the battle by working to find a cure for breast cancer-a disease that affects one in eight women.

The change in Maniscalco's life plan came several years ago when that friend, Norma Logan, approached her with the idea of starting a breast cancer foundation. Logan, who had the disease and lost a friend to it, told Maniscalco she was frustrated to learn that the breast cancer foundation for which she had helped raise $200,000 spent 40 percent of all its funds on overhead. Logan wanted to find a way to direct more money to finding a cure.

Together, the two women established the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation, named after Logan's friend, an Old Saybrook woman, wife and mother of three who died from the disease in the fall of 2005. The foundation gives 100 percent of its funds directly to breast cancer research.

Though Maniscalco credits Logan as the brainchild of the organization, which to date has raised about $1 million, Maniscalco was and remains a guiding force of the group, as well as its leader.

It was, in fact, Maniscalco who kept a steady hand at the helm of the foundation when it was rocked by two tragedies. The first came in 2006 when Logan, less than three months after the foundation was formed, succumbed to breast cancer herself.

Then, in January of 2008, the organization lost another major volunteer when Timothy Brodeur, Terri Brodeur's husband, committed suicide at his wife's grave in Old Saybrook. Tim Brodeur, in memory of his wife, had served as one of the directors of the foundation and played a vital role in its fundraising efforts, raising thousands of dollars for the organization himself in 2007 with a dinner at his Old Saybrook home that drew 300 people.

His death, spurred by grief over his wife's passing, stunned the community and those who knew him. He was pleased, Maniscalco says, when she and Norma Logan approached him with the idea of naming their newfound organization after his wife. For Maniscalco, his death reveals the underlying pervasive nature of breast cancer: Terri Brodeur was its direct victim, but her husband, family and an entire community all suffered from that single case.

That kind of suffering is why Maniscalco and other volunteers work tirelessly to find a cure, or at least better treatment, Maniscalco says.

For those who know her, it's not surprising that she would bring such passion to her volunteer work. A self-described type-A personality, Maniscalco is a former drill sergeant and director of clinical systems at Pfizer. She's also written two books, a children's book and a cookbook. She has devoted herself, she says, to living a life that makes a difference.

Despite the tragedies she's borne, Maniscalco says quitting was never an option. She and Logan had been friends for 20 years and she had promised her friend that she would continue the foundation they had started together.

At her Mystic home, where she surrounds herself with blue, her favorite color, she pauses to consider the tragedies she's overcome and how she continues to move forward despite the setbacks.

"You have to," she says. "We're all in this fight to find a cure or treatment to keep people alive. You can't give up on that. It goes beyond Terri and Norma."

That commitment has helped the Brodeur foundation grow into a thriving nonprofit that each year hosts a popular walkathon. Last year the group hit a new milestone when 428 people participated in the 26.2-mile endurance walk, three times the number from the previous year.

She says she's been humbled by her work with the foundation.

Deborah Bax, who walked the marathon in 2007, says she was impressed with Maniscalco's overall presence during the event and her strong work ethic.

"She is magnetic and clearly wants people to succeed," says Bax. "She is one of those people who inspires you in the way she lives her life."