MADISON, Wis. -- A Madison woman's life is back in bloom after fighting and beating endometrial cancer.

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"A garden is like life, you have to enjoy it every day," said cancer survivor Sharrie Heibl.

Heibl, an avid gardener, finds inspiration in her garden after battling for her life.

"We were very devastated," said Heibl. "One of those times when you say, 'This isn't happening to you!'"

Heibl said that during her battle with cancer she tended to the peace and positive attitude deep within her.

"We were just plain lucky we got it when we did," said Heibl. "I thought it would be a good idea for other people to know the signs and symptoms."

Now, Heibl is combining her knowledge, experience and photos from her flowering garden into a handout for others battling endometrial cancer. She has created Garden Walk Inc., a nonprofit organization that seeks to raise awareness about gynecologic cancers and to raise donations for cancer research. To learn more, visit GardenWalkTalkShare.com.

"We just need to have people not be afraid to talk about it," said Heibl. "All the people who supported me while I was going through it were amazingly helpful. If you know someone don't be shy, help them out."

Endometrial cancer is one of the most common cancers in American women.

About 40,000 American women receive a diagnosis of endometrial cancer each year, making it the fourth most common cancer found in women -- after breast cancer, lung cancer and colon cancer.

Endometrial cancer usually begins in the endometrium, the lining of the uterus -- a hollow, pear-shaped pelvic organ where fetal development occurs.

Endometrial cancer is most common after the reproductive years, between the ages of 60 and 70. Endometrial cancer is sometimes called uterine cancer, but there are other cells in the uterus that can become cancerous -- such as muscle or myometrial cells. These form much less common cancers called sarcomas and account for less than 5 percent of uterine cancers.

Endometrial cancer is often detected at an early stage because it frequently produces vaginal bleeding between menstrual periods or after menopause. If discovered early, this slow-growing cancer is likely to be confined to the uterus.

Removing the uterus surgically often eliminates all of the cancer. In fact, stage I endometrial cancer is successfully treated more than 90 percent of the time.

Unfortunately, not all endometrial cancer can be successfully treated. In these cases, the cancer has spread beyond the uterus by the time it's detected.

About 7,000 American women die each year of endometrial cancer.

Endometrial cancer often develops over a period of years. Your first clue that something is wrong may be abnormal vaginal bleeding.

Most cases of endometrial cancer develop in postmenopausal women, whose periods have stopped. However, a small percentage of cases affect women younger than 40.

Signs and symptoms of endometrial cancer may include:

Prolonged periods or bleeding between periods

More frequent vaginal bleeding or spotting during the years leading up to menopause (perimenopause)

Any bleeding after the time of menopause

A pink, watery or white discharge from your vagina

Pelvic pain, especially late in the disease

Pain during intercourse

Weight loss

Rarely does endometrial cancer reach an advanced stage before any signs and symptoms are present.

Surgery is the most common treatment for endometrial cancer. Most doctors recommend either the surgical removal of the uterus alone (hysterectomy) or, more likely, the surgical removal of the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries (hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy). Lymph nodes in the area should also be removed during surgery along with other tissue samples.

A hysterectomy is a major operation, and because you can't get pregnant after your uterus has been removed, it can be a difficult decision for some women.

However, surgery is usually the only way to eliminate the cancer or the need for further treatment.

If you have an aggressive form of endometrial cancer or the cancer has spread to other parts of your body, you may need additional treatments. These may include:

Radiation -- Radiation therapy involves the use of high-dose X-rays to kill cancer cells. If your doctor believes you're at high risk of cancer recurrence, he or she may suggest that you have radiation therapy after a hysterectomy. Your doctor may also recommend radiation therapy if the cancerous tumor is fast growing, invades deeply into the muscle of the uterus or involves blood vessels.

Brachytherapy is another form of radiation that involves the internal application of radiation, usually to the inner lining of the uterus. Brachytherapy has significantly fewer side effects than conventional radiation therapy does. However, brachytherapy treats only a small area of the body.

Hormone therapy -- If the cancer has spread to other parts of your body, synthetic progestin, a form of the hormone progesterone, may stop it from growing. The progestin used in treating endometrial cancer is administered in higher doses than is used in hormone replacement therapy for menopausal women. Other medications may be used as well. Treatment with progestin may be an option for women with early endometrial cancer who want to have children and, therefore, don't want to have a hysterectomy. However, this approach is not without the risk that the cancer will return. Carefully discuss this treatment with an expert in this field.

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. In some cases, your doctor may recommend chemotherapy for endometrial cancer. You may receive chemotherapy drugs by pill (orally) or through your veins (intravenously). These drugs enter your bloodstream and then travel through your body, killing cancer cells outside the uterus.

Starting Friday night at 7 p.m., CBS, NBC and ABC are hosting a television event called "Stand Up To Cancer." The joint effort is designed to raise money for awareness and research of the disease.