GG Williams found the lump in her breast the night her play, The Greatest is Love, opened. She remembers the moment distinctly. "The lump felt like a rock, and there was so much swelling I wondered if a prop had fallen on me, " said GG. She finished the four-day run. Wasn't her mammogram just one month overdue?

The next day she found herself talking to breast surgeon V. Merle McIntosh, MD. GG and three of her sisters had appeared at the Breast Care Center at En-glewood Hospital without an introduction. "We had no idea of what to do, but we had heard about the Breast Care Center," said GG. Regina, the woman at the desk, comforted them and said that GG would be taken care of. A fine needle aspiration performed the same day re-vealed news no one wants to hear.

GG and her sisters sat with Dr. McIntosh in her office. "She explained the problem, and her explanation was clear and pre-cise. Then she let us cry," re-members GG. "We were over-whelmed."

"I probably would have gone home and done nothing at first," she continued. "It was too much. But the team at Englewood took over. Englewood is very nurtur-ing. 'Do this... We'll take care of that.' From the moment that I was diagnosed, I was guided. The follow-up at every step of the way was phenomenal."

Two years later, GG has ex-perienced chemotherapy, a mas-tectomy, breast reconstruction, radiation, metastasis of the can-cer to her lungs, lung surgery, and a huge disruption to her life. She is a vibrant, creative woman with a large and loving family that includes children, grand-children, siblings, and parents. These days, she's front and cen-ter in the Teaneck home of three of her sisters, where she is "a frequent guest." Although she still maintains her own apart-ment in Englewood, she usually stays with her doting siblings, who make sure that she is physi-cally and emotionally supported as she goes through the rigors of treatment.

GG has chosen to focus on a cup half-full and to remain in a positive place. "My prognosis is good," she offers. She continues to write, and in May her produc-tion company, WillPower Pro-ductions, in conjunction with Englewood Hospital and Medi-cal Center Foundation, will sponsor a fundraiser for the On-cology Unit at Englewood Hos-pital and Medical Center—a murder mystery called Cruise to Nowhere. GG has two goals, raising money for the Oncology Unit and raising awareness of the level of care available for cancer patients at Englewood Hospital. "I want people to know that they can entrust a family member with cancer to the hospital." she said. She also wants to share her experience in the hopes of helping others who have cancer. "I am a success story. I want other people to be encouraged."

Despite the challenges of re-covery, she perseveres in day-to-day life, works at her art and strives to be a force for good, often producing material that inspires or enlightens others. She is also a religious woman. "I credit God with everything good in my life. I feel very blessed," said GG. "Being led to Englewood was a blessing from God." She is committed to mak-ing the fundraiser a success. "I want to do the best, because they do the best."

"They" are the members of her healthcare team at the Medical Center. She recounts a litany of names in gratitude—Drs. McIn-tosh, Michael Schleider, Frank Forte, Mei Zhang, Richard D'Amico. There are many, many people to thank, she says. She wants to talk about every-one, and thank them all—especially for the understanding and the compassion they have extended to her. "The doctors, the entire staff, they help me get up in the morning, even when I know the day will be difficult. They make me feel like family," she explained.

Cruise to Nowhere is a play with only one message, says its author—don't forget to laugh. She's promised edge-of-your-seat suspense, laugh-out-loud comedy, and a Hitchcockian twist at the end. All proceeds go to the Oncology Unit.

Cast and crew, all of whom are donating their services, in-clude Agnes Arnold of Teaneck, Geneice Mitchell of Englewood, Janine Ellis of Englewood, Ma-galy Matos of Englewood, Steve Russo, Dana Dorman of Tea-neck, Steven Kyle of Teaneck, Yul Blackman, Joy Merri-weather of Hackensack, Carla Kennedy of Hackensack and Teresa Salfana.

GG renamed her production company "WillPower Produc-tions" in 2005. She derived the name of the production com-pany from her surname and a reference to her determination to win her fight against cancer.

Cruise to Nowhere will run at the Learning Center Auditorium of Englewood Hospital and Medical Center at 350 Engle Street in Englewood on May 4 (8 p.m.), May 5 (8 p.m.) and May 6 (4 p.m.). Tickets are $20 (adults) and $15 (seniors and children). Call the Foundation at 201-894-3725 for more informa-tion or tickets.