Breast Cancer – My Story – The Military Family

Breast Cancer runs deep in my family. It has taken lives. It has changed loved ones forever in so many ways. It is nothing to mess around with.

My Mom: Early detection saved her life. She is a reminder of how important a mammogram is. She underwent chemo and radiation and is daily reminded of those side effects but has been in remission for over five years!

My Mother in Law: A small lump was found during a self-check. No chemo required. Praise God. She has also been in remission for over five years.

My Grandmother: I never met her. Breast Cancer took her life in her early 40s leaving behind a very young family and generations that only wish they met her.

My Great Aunts: 3 out of 4 sisters had breast cancer; two didn’t survive.

It is something I do not take lightly. So as we hit mid-October I want to remind all the ladies out there … Self-Check! (Or want to make it a little more fun? Get hubs involved, wink wink) Pick a day of the month, like the first Saturday or the 15th of each month, and mentally note that is the day you are going feel around for any lumps or bumps.

The American Cancer Society recommends a three-part strategy to detecting breast cancer early: A self breast exam once a month for women over 20; clinical breast exams periodically (at least once every 3 years) for women in their 20s and 30s; and a mammography screening, with a yearly clinical exam, for women ages 40 and over, or those who may be at high risk.

“According to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure an estimated 4.4 million women are alive today in whom breast cancer was diagnosed within the last five years. Over the next 25 years, another 25 million women and men are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer and another 10 million people will die of breast cancer. Breast Cancer claimed the lives of some 40,000 women in the Unites states in 2007 and is second only to lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths in females.1 An estimated 178,000 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in women in 20071 and another 182,000 are expected to be diagnosed in 2008.2” – Breast Cancer – Early Detection Can Save Lives