MILILANI — Wearing a fitted tank top that read "Tantaran" — pidgin for "show-off" — and Hello Kitty house slippers, 'Iwalani Tseu sat in her outside lanai, her cordless phone nearby.

Within just an hour, three women had called her, asking for advice or just wanting to talk story with the 57-year-old kumu hula — and two-time cancer survivor — who has become an inspiration to those touched by the disease.

"I still got you in my prayers," Tseu told one woman from Chicago, recently diagnosed with breast cancer, on the phone. "You need the kala (money), you know, so you need to work. Now you got the breast cancer, you gotta keep the medical. The medical will kill you more than the cancer."

Tseu, a well-known cultural specialist and hula instructor, was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2005 after a yearly mammogram turned up "suspicious," she said.

(She had already survived cervical cancer, diagnosed when she was 35 and pregnant with her third daughter.)

Within five days of diagnosis, Tseu underwent surgery to remove the cancer growing in her right breast.

While recuperating at home, — she went through six weeks of radiation — Tseu watched the 2003 film "Calendar Girls," which was about a group of women who posed nude for a calendar as a fundraiser.

Then, a year later, she came across another calendar full of topless women, one that benefited breast cancer research in Ontario, Canada.

She decided to do the same, using women from Hawai'i to raise money for her own foundation, which is dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness, particularly among Native Hawaiians.

But after taking photos of more than 130 tastefully topless women — three-fourths of whom are cancer survivors or have been touched by the disease — Tseu realized she wanted to do more than create a calendar that would be tossed after a year.

So she decided to produce a book.

"A calendar is temporary," Tseu said. "A book will last a lifetime."

The book — titled "Ka Leo O Ke Ola" (The Voice of Life) — will feature portraits of local women, from beauty queens to entrepreneurs to entertainers, topless and adorned with lei, shells, flowers, leaves, even seaweed.

"At first, many of them weren't comfortable baring themselves," said Tseu, who also will be featured in the book. "But they were confident in taking a stand against this horrible disease that was hitting too close to home."

She's already sold some of her jewelry to fund the project, but she still needs to raise at least $30,000 to get it off the ground.

Tseu is planning a fundraiser in October at the Wai'oli Tea Room in Manoa, and she's hoping for additional donations to help her cause.

Beyond the book, she envisions creating a sanctuary at her Mililani home for women and starting a mobile mammogram service to reach women in rural and underserved areas.

"I was dancing hula, I exercised, I was the product of good health," Tseu said. "And I had no history of cancer in my family. You would never think I'd get breast cancer. I was totally devastated."

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, except for non-melanoma skin cancers. It's the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in women, exceeded only by lung cancer.

The American Cancer Society estimates 178,480 women in the United States — 820 in Hawai'i — will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.

About 40,460 American women will die from the disease this year, 130 in Hawai'i.

The chance of developing invasive breast cancer at some time in a woman's life is about 1 in 8. It happens to 13 percent of women.

Through increased awareness and an emphasis on early detection, though, breast cancer deaths have steadily decreased since 1990.

Tseu, a mother of three, is grateful for the experience of surviving two bouts with cancer. She said it has made her stronger and more focused.

"I realized that life was too short," Tseu said, her eyes tearing. "I'm really grateful to have struggled, to now realize my strength. You don't know your strength until you've fallen down and have had to climb back up."

In remission, Tseu continues to teach hula at least three times a week. Her home in Mililani is open to women who need a place to rest, meditate or connect with others like Tseu who have struggled — and survived — cancer.

"I feel like I'm one of the richest women because I have a huge story to share," Tseu said. "I can make a difference in someone's life."

Reach Catherine E. Toth at ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.