›› Fearless Females: Laurah Turner Jones

Hershey's Tour de Pink

Laurah Turner Jones is a 26 year-old, two-time breast cancer survivor, biological anthropologist and competitive tri-athlete. She was first diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma in Suta (DCIS) in 2004 at the age of 22. After a lumpectomy, Jones pursued her life with a new zeal. She went on to receive her MS in Human Biology and is currently a PhD candidate in the Biological Anthropology program at Indiana University Bloomington. 

In November 2008, during a routine ultrasound, Laurah was told that the DCIS had returned. Her oncologist found a clinical trial using partial radiation therapy in Bloomington which allowed Jones to finish her school work for the fall semester. Three weeks later, Jones was back on her feet and placed third overall for women in the 11-mile One Loop HUFF race.

After beating breast cancer a second time, Jones decided to go beyond fundraising and advocacy. She completely refocused her dissertation research to explore relationships between diet, exercise and breast cancer risk. She hopes her doctoral research can help other women afflicted by breast cancer by identifying interactions between lifestyle factors, estrogen levels and breast cancer risk during different stages of women’s reproductive lives.   Laurah currently resides in Indianapolis, Ind. She is an accomplished athlete who is training for the Ironman Triathlon and planning to go professional in 2009.