Every October, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, CBS News Miami shares stories from viewers who give a glimpse into their personal battles.

This year, one of our own has a story to tell. Entertainment reporter Lisa Petrillo, who has graced South Florida screens for decades, is opening up after a 10-month battle that she kept private until now.

"I'm feeling great. I've been feeling great," she said. "It was a shock what happened."

A decade on South Florida screens

Lisa is known for her upbeat energy and entertainment coverage, from hot spots across South Florida to major events. Back in January, she featured the reopening of the iconic Mai-Kai restaurant in Fort Lauderdale. What viewers didn't know at the time was that just minutes before going on camera, she received a phone call that changed her life.

"I get a call on I-95, and he's like, 'Yeah, Lisa, I'm sorry to tell you, you have a lobular tumor in your right breast,'" she recalled.

A self-exam leads to early detection

Days earlier, Lisa had gone in for a routine ultrasound of her left breast due to fibroids. The night before, she decided to do a self-check and found a hard lump on the right side.

"I woke up my husband and said, 'Do you feel this?' He told me it could be anything, but it bothered me," she said.

At her appointment the next day, Lisa insisted doctors also examine her right breast. Initially, they refused because her prescription was only for the left side. She persisted, and that insistence led to an ultrasound that revealed early-stage breast cancer.

Doctors caught it at Stage One. Lisa underwent a lumpectomy followed by 15 days of radiation.

Moving forward with strength and support

She took about 10 days off work during treatment, even covering the South Beach Wine and Food Festival as usual. For nine months, she kept her diagnosis private, calling it only "the C word."

"Now I can say I had breast cancer," Lisa said. "That is big. It's still hard for me to say. It's still hard for me to talk about it."

She has since connected with a supportive community of women and now hopes her story can help others. "If someone's in the same situation as me, maybe it's time for me to say what happened so I can help," she said.

Lisa recently received her first post-treatment mammogram and all is well. She will remain on medication for the next five years but says she is otherwise feeling great.

Viewers can join Lisa's CBS Miami colleagues at the Susan G. Komen "More Than Pink Walk" on Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Miami-Dade County Fair and Exposition.

How to register to get free mammograms

CBS News Miami is partnering with community organizations to make breast cancer screenings more accessible. 

A mammovan is providing free mammograms to South Floridians.

The mammovan will be traveling across Miami-Dade and Broward counties in the coming months, providing no-cost screenings.

Anyone interested in receiving a free mammogram must register ahead of time through the official sign-up page. No walk-ups will be accepted.

Visitors can either click "Schedule Now" at the top of the page or scroll down to find their location and make an appointment directly.

South Florida mammogram events

• September 16, 2025 — Aids Healthcare Foundation: Fort Lauderdale Downtown Healthcare Center, 700 SE 3rd Ave., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

• September 18, 2025 — Sanitas: Fort Lauderdale, 2150 S Andrews Ave. Suite 150, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

• September 20, 2025 — Florida Blue: Hialeah, 1001 W 49th St., Hialeah, FL 33012

• September 24, 2025 — Faircrest 14 Maintenance Corp., 6990 NW 71st, Tamarac, FL 33321

• September 30, 2025 — BankUnited Mammograms, 7815 NW 148th Street Building 3, Miami Lakes, FL 33016

• October 2, 2025 — Sanitas: Country Walk, 14409 Country Walk Dr., Miami, FL 33186

• October 4, 2025 — Sanitas: Kendall, 7135 SW 117th Ave., Miami, FL 33183

• October 7, 2025 — Sanitas: Miami Lakes, 18610 NW 87th Ave. Suite 101, Miami, FL 33015

• October 8, 2025 — American Health Marketplace, 3215 NW 10th Terrace #211, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309

• October 9, 2025 — CompletePet, 4120 W 91st Pl. Suite 500, Hialeah, FL 33018

• October 10, 2025 — Conviva East Westchester "MammoLink at Conviva: Screenings on Wheels," 7500 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL 33144

• October 11, 2025 — God is Bigger Than Cancer, 12555 Miramar Pkwy, Miramar, FL 33027

• October 14, 2025 — Sanitas: Homestead, 600 NE 22nd Terrace, Homestead, FL 33033

• October 16, 2025 — Sanitas: Kendall, 7135 SW 117th Ave., Kendall, FL 33183

• October 18, 2025 — Peterson's Harley-Davidson of Miami, 19400 NW 2nd Ave., Miami, FL 33169

• October 21, 2025 — BCOM Health Goes Pink, 168 N Powerline Rd., Pompano Beach, FL 33069

• October 27, 2025 — Sanitas: Plantation, 180 SW 84th Ave., Plantation, FL 33324

• October 31, 2025 — God is Bigger Than Cancer, 12555 Miramar Pkwy, Miramar, FL 33027

Komen-sponsored mammovan events

• October 22, 2025 — E. Pat Larkins Community Center, 520 NW 3rd St., Pompano Beach, FL 33060

• December 11, 2025 — Miami Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation, 3505 NW 107 Ave., Doral, FL 33178