A mother and daughter are teaming to raise money for breast cancer research by sharing a family tradition with the community.

Kathy Overly and her daughter, Melissa Driskell, both of Canton, are selling homemade Easter-themed, chocolate covered lollipops to raise funds for their participation in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure walk for breast cancer in October.

The lollipops will be in the shape of several Easter-related items and will come in various colors.

Ms. Overly, who is an administrative affairs secretary at the Cherokee Sheriff's Office, is selling the lollipops for 50 cents each at her office. She's also selling a bag of chocolate covered hearts for $1 and bigger lollipops for $2 each. The last day to purchase a lollipop will be Friday.

Ms. Overly and her daughter each need $2,300 to participate in the 3-day walk, which will be conducted Oct. 22 through 24 in Atlanta. So far, Ms. Overly has raised about $660.

"We're just trying to nibble away," she said of etching towards their goal.

The tradition of making lollipops was passed down to Ms. Overly from her mother. While growing up in Ohio, Ms. Overly said she and her family would frequent a candy store to purchase items to make their own candy at home.

The drive to participate in the 3-day walk stems from Ms. Overly's personal battle with breast cancer.

While vacationing in September, Ms. Overly noticed a "hard marble" lump in her left breast. She said she was concerned, but brushed it off as she had a normal mammogram in May.

After returning from her vacation, she underwent a biopsy and the results came back positive for cancer.

Ms. Overly said she was shocked at the results because no one in her family had breast cancer. However, her father suffered from lung and bone cancer.

Mrs. Driskell, a records clerk at the sheriff's office, said she was also surprised by the news of her mother's cancer.

"I knew she would overcome it and beat it," she added.

Ms. Overly underwent four rounds of chemotherapy and had a double mastectomy with reconstruction surgery.

The chemotherapy, she said, was the hardest part of the battle. The treatments were traumatic and Ms. Overly said she lost her hair, was often weak and was more susceptible to illness because of the reduced stamina of her immune system.

"It's been a life changing experience,' she said.

Ms. Overly, 46, said doctors have told her she's doing "wonderful" and have given her the green light to return to work.

She has one more reconstructive surgery to go before she's done with the treatment process.

When she's not working at the Cherokee Sheriff's Office, Ms. Overly volunteers her time at Stephenson Stables in Hickory Flat. She is also waiting to regain her strength before training to participate in the walk.

Mrs. Driskell said her mother's battle has served as an inspiration to her. Her mother's strength, she said, was no match for the cancer.

"She recovered fast and was just amazing," she said.

Ms. Overly and her daughter said the main goal for the lollipops and the 3-day walk is to find a cure for breast cancer and to educate people about how to detect cancer early enough to defeat the disease.

She also said participating in the walk will give her the satisfaction of being a survivor and being around others who decided to fight back.

"You can't help it if you get it, but you can help if you survive from it," she said.

To purchase lollipops from Kathy Overly, call (678) 493-4114.