KANSAS CITY, Mo. — October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the United States Postal Service is raising millions of dollars for breast cancer research with a unique stamp. "We've been doing this since 1998 and since that time we've sold over one billion of these stamps, which has helped promote $97 million towards cancer research. So we're really proud of that," Strategic Communications Specialist for United States Postal Service Mark Inglett said. New sports complex officially opens in Overland Park As a two-time breast cancer survivor and local mom of three boys, Samantha Ramirez says she was instantly moved by the campaign when she first learned about it. "It was just amazing to see. I have three boys and I'm here for them and I keep fighting every day for them," Ramirez said. She was first diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in SITU in her early 20's, which came as a total shock. "It ended up being a tumor and so I elected to have a double mastectomy," Ramirez said. An even bigger shock came a few years after that when she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Doctors told her without immediate treatment she only had three months to live. "That required me to have chemotherapy. I lost my hair, I got really, really sick. I had to stop working," Ramirez said. She's spent the last few years of her journey to healing spreading awareness about the importance of early detection, advocating for your health at every age, and supporting research efforts like this one. Helzberg Diamonds replaces KC woman’s wedding ring after her jeweler lost it "This diagnosis is breast cancer, but there's a lot of people out there that have chronic illnesses and diagnoses, and I'm just here to tell everyone just to keep fighting and do it for their selves, their family, their friends and their children," Ramirez said. According to Inglett, Missouri and Kansas are the third leading states in the U.S. for the breast cancer research stamp sales.  To purchase a stamp, visit your local USPS store or online at store.usps.com.